The Vince Meades Sheet Music Collection
54,000 pieces of popular American sheet music, 15,000 long play records, and
some 990 books on the entertainment industry--who could possibly pull together
such a large collection? Certainly not one person you suppose, but yes, in
reality, one very special person, one dedicated to collecting such material in
order to make it conveniently available to students and scholars. In 1998, Mr.
Vince Meades donated his entire collection of sheet music, books, and
records to the Library. Combined with the sheet music collection already on
hand in Special Collections, the Vince Meades Sheet Music Collection is
possibly the second largest collection of movie music in California, behind
that of UCLA.
The portion of the collection that is most exciting and promises to be the
most heavily used is the sheet music, which dates from the turn of the century
to the present. This collection encompasses all genres and themes, and in many
cases sports the most colorful and appealing cover artwork designed for popular
consumption. Popular American music, music from Broadway musicals, music from
television and radio are all present, but the strongest category is music from
movies.
Mr. Meades grew up in a town outside of London during World War II. In a
state of perpetual lights out, he spent a good deal of time at the
cinema watching the staged escapades of Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan,
Loretta Young, Bing Crosby, Claudette Colbert, and all of the other movie
greats. He quickly fell in love with the glamour and glory of the American
silver screen. That love has stayed with him since childhood, but it wasn't
until Mr. Meades was well into adulthood that he literally stumbled over a box
of movie sheet music at a garage sale. After looking through it, he decided
that this would be the perfect outlet for his desire to start a collection of
some kind or another. From the beginning, Mr. Meades intended that his
collection be given as a gift to an institution willing to care for it and make
it accessible to those interested in study and research. All of those from the
many disciplines who use this collection will be thankful that he chose to
collect what he did.
Certainly musicians looking for an unusual piece of music will most likely
find it in the collection. But historians and sociologists examining, for
example, how a group of people were depicted (in both song and image) will want
to use the collection; artists will be interested in the graphic designs of the
covers; and sheet music collectors may use the collection for reference. It is
the social snapshot of the time that is so intriguing. The database being
devised to handle this large collection will allow for multiple field entries,
much beyond the standard date, title, composer and lyricist. Data records will
include subject fields for such things as celebrities, sports, transportation,
holiday music, ethnic groups, theme of song, genre of cover artwork, and more.
Although database entry has not yet started, the collection is thoroughly
accessible through the comprehensive card catalog system painstakingly kept
up-to-date by Mr. Meades. It is Vince Meades' intention to volunteer in Special
Collections to expand access to his collection, and to continue to purchase
items to complement our holdings.
We invite everyone to visit Special Collections to see this fantastic
collection. 
For more information about how to make a tax-deductible gift
to the Library, please contact
our director of Library Development, at (619) 594-2296.
