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Talbott Library

Talbott Music Library, part of Rider University Libraries, located on the third and fourth floors of the Franklin F. Moore Library building, is named after Katharine Houk Talbott, one of Westminster Choir College's original principal benefactors. Talbott supports the music curriculum of Westminster Choir College as well as courses and programs for the School of Fine and Performing Arts in Lawrenceville. Talbott’s collections comprise over 85,000 volumes of music books and scores, over 7,200 choral music titles in performance quantities, a choral music reference collection over 80,000 titles, and over 28,000 sound and video recordings. Access to more than 10,000 periodical titles in a mix of print and online formats, and a wide variety of online research tools including audio and video streaming are available on and off-campus. Additionally, exceptional holdings are found in the library's Special Collections.

E-Mail - library@rider.edu

Resources and Services: Talbott Library’s Reference Collection includes standard reference works for music in traditional and electronic formats. The collection includes bibliographies, biographical dictionaries, composers’ complete works and thematic catalogs, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, musical monuments and periodical indexes.

Reference Librarians help users

  • find the information or material that they need
  • develop a search strategy to research a topic
  • select and use various electronic and traditional research tools
  • understand and effectively use the library’s resources and services

The library accepts reference questions from the general public. However, first priority will be given to Westminster Choir College and Rider University students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Likewise, users in the library will have priority over those using telephone reference.

Talbott Library Friends, founded in 1982, is an organization that promotes and enhances the excellence of Talbott Library. Friends have the opportunity to volunteer their time and talents for specific projects on an as needed basis. Funds raised by the Talbott Library Friends are used to provide extra resources and services beyond the scope or reach of the library budget.

About Talbott Library

The Katharine Houk Talbott Library, honoring one of the Westminster Choir College's original principal benefactors, is located on the Rider University campus, located on the third floor of Franklin F. Moore Library. The emphasis is on music, with holdings of more than 85,000 scores, music-related books and journals, and over 25,000 sound and video recordings. Talbott Library's Performance Collection comprises over 7,000 choral music titles in performance quantities. Special Collections at Talbott include significant reference collections of choral octavos, organ music, hymnals, archival materials and more.

Your Benefits

  • Circulation privileges for individuals who are local residents
  • An increased appreciation of Talbott Library and its importance to the Westminster/Rider community
  • Reference Assistance by mail, telephone, or e-mail

Becoming a Friend

Membership in the Talbott Library Friends is open to all individuals. No attendance or active participation is required. To become a Talbott Library Friend simply fill out the application form below, along with a minimum, tax-deductible donation of $25. Your membership will be valid for 1 year and must be renewed annually to remain a Talbott Library Friend.

Talbott Library Friends Membership Registration Form

This form is to be printed out and mailed.


Talbott Friends Borrowing Policies

  • Privileges: The loan period is 4 weeks for circulating books and piano pedagogy materials and 1 week for media materials. Up to 6 items may be checked out at any given time and one renewal per item is allowed.
  • Limitations: No reserve items may be checked out of the library, however they may be used in the library for 3 hours. Interlibrary loans are not permitted. Those materials must be obtained through your public library's interlibrary loan service.
  • Responsibilities: Any item that is recalled must be returned immediately. Failure to cooperate can lead to the loss of borrowing privileges. Library materials must be returned when due. Unpaid fines $10 or over will cause the suspension of library privileges until the fines are paid. The borrower is responsible for replacement and processing costs of the list items.

Talbott Library Friends Achievements

  • Purchased copies of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians for the library (the 1st edition, received in 1982)
  • Purchased facsimile of Le Roman de Fauvel and The Arundel Choirbook in 2005
  • Purchased shelves and book trucks for the library in 2002
  • Raised $4,000 toward the purchase of the Routley Collection
  • Acquired a microfiche reader for the library
  • Acquired an electronic piano for the Performance Collection
  • Assisted in procurement of special collections, including transportation
  • Arranged for art exhibit on loan to enhance appearance of the library
  • Volunteered special skills, such as hand-binding of library materials
  • Procured free library and office equipment
  • Donated thousands of books, music scores, and sound recordings to augment the collection and to raise money for new purchases through library sales
  • Donated music to purchase memorial books
  • Contributed to book endowment funds
  • Photocopied fragile documents from the Archives on to acid-free paper
  • Replaced the circulation enclosure with partitions creating a more professional atmosphere.

Gift Policy

Talbott Library – January 2016

General Donation Guidelines
Talbott Library welcomes gifts of books, scores, audiovisual (CD and DVD), and manuscript materials that fall within the scope of its collection development policy. Due to the high cost of managing the gift process, only items deemed likely for inclusion in the collections will be accepted.

The materials must be in good condition. The library does not accept items that are:

  • torn, brittle, or falling apart
  • missing pages
  • extensively marked up
  • exhibiting any evidence of mold or mildew
  • photocopies

The library does not accept long-playing (LP) or 78 rpm discs, any audiotape formats, or 12-inch laserdiscs, except for items with a direct connection to Westminster Choir College.

Other decisions are based upon the present and anticipated demands of the teaching and research needs of the University.

Gifts of materials are accepted with the understanding that the Library becomes owner of the materials. The Library reserves the right to determine their retention, location, cataloging treatment and other considerations related to the use or disposition of those materials.

Donation Process
The library can accept a gift only after receiving and reviewing an itemized list of materials offered; however, we encourage prospective donors to contact the library for a conversation about a possible donation before compiling that list. Contact Sarah Mason with any questions or for further information on the donation process at smason@rider.edu, 609-921-7100 x8304.

Monetary Donations
Monetary donations are an excellent way to support our collections as well as the services and facilities of the libraries. The donor may designate that a specific fund be set up in a particular subject area or topic. For further information, contact Bob Terrio, Chair, Talbott Library - rterrio@rider.edu, 609-921-7100 x8296.

Acceptance and Acknowledgment
Once a gift is brought into the library, the donor will be asked to sign a donation agreement. A letter of acknowledgement will be sent to the donor, if requested on the donation form. The letter normally acknowledges only the type and number of items donated (e.g., 5 scores; 11 books; 7 CDs), but if the donor wants acknowledgement of individual titles, a copy of the initial donor-provided list will be included with the letter of acknowledgement. n the case of extensive or exceptional gifts, bookplates may be added to those materials, and/or notes may be added in the online catalog records for those materials. This should be discussed with a librarian prior to the acceptance of a gift.

Donations and Tax Benefits
By law, librarians cannot value and/or appraise materials. Donors should arrange for a third-party appraisal prior to donation.