Performing Arts Library
College of St. Catherine

Women and Music: Periodical Indexes

Last updated: 21 January 2000

The International Index to Music Periodicals

An index to nearly 400 current music journals published 1996 and later. Also provides retrospective indexing for about 140 of these music journals, back to the 19th century for some titles. Try the "All Keywords" search for the most comprehensive search. Sample searches:

• women composers
• amy and beach

RILM Abstracts

Accessible on FirstSearch via CLICnet or the World Wide Web

This electronic database indexes a wide range of scholarly publications in music. It is international in scope, and covers from the 1960s to the present. It is probably best to search under the name of an individual composer or musician. A search using the terms women and composer+ yields more than 300 entries!

 

Music Index

St. Paul Campus Library Lower Level Index Shelves, ML118 .M84

Library owns 1949-1978, 1987-1996

This is a printed subject index to about 350 music periodicals. Try looking under names of individual composers or performers. Or, look under the following subject headings:

• Women as Composers
• Women in Music

 

InfoTrac Web

These electronic databases index fewer music periodicals than The International Index to Music Periodicals or RILM Abstracts, but they do contain some music periodicals in full text. Two InfoTrac databases are of interest:

• Expanded Academic ASAP
  This database offers better coverage of scholarly journals.
• General Reference Center (Magazine Index)
  This database mostly indexes more popular (i.e., less scholarly) journals. It is worth searching if your topic concerns women in popular music.

Try typing in the following headings in either of these databases:

• Women Composers
• Women Musicians
• African American Women Musicians

 

Arts & Humanities Search

Accessible on FirstSearch via CLICnet or the World Wide Web

This electronic database indexes more than 1,300 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals. It covers 1980 to the present and is updated weekly. Like the InfoTrac databases, Arts & Humanities Search indexes fewer music journals than The International Index to Music Periodicals or RILM Abstracts, but the database is more current. A search using the terms women and composer+ yields more than 100 entries.

 

Women Studies Abstracts

St. Paul Campus Library Lower Level Index Shelves, HQ1101 .W65

Library owns vol. 1, no. 1 (Winter 1972) - present

A printed index to articles in women's studies and gender-related journals. Issued quarterly. Look for the cumulative annual index in the last issue of each volume.