2019 was an outstanding year for the Church Music Institute Organ and Choral Libraries. Compared to 2018, visits to the CMI website and Libraries were up 115%, and pages viewed were up 145%.
The Organ Library moved into its own suite along with the complete organ collection of Hal and Martha Hopson that is now being cataloged. This fabulous collection, amassed over a lifetime of service to the church by two dedicated servants, was contained in seven filing cabinets and will be of great benefit to all organists who plan worship. The titles in the Organ Library increased 29% during the year because of the exceptional and steady work of Dr. Margaret Evans that at this writing is nearing 15,000 titles.
The Choral Library continues to receive personal collections of prominent musicians and churches along with recently published compositions that make it unique as a reference library for planning music for worship. The seventeen search fields give the user the opportunity to locate varieties of music: for example, almost 400 cantatas and oratorios; over 2,000 anthems for children; 1,000 anthems that use hand bells with choir; 1,621 anthems for the congregation to join in singing; almost 500 anthems accompanied by orchestra. The Choral Library now holds nearly 20,000 titles.
Both Libraries are user-friendly, and our office is a phone call or email away if you have questions or suggestions. Dr. Robert C. Mann, Resource Library Director