"I’m calling from Canadaigua and I heard from friends at Nazareth College that your library is the best one to call for Italian music recordings. I need a Sicilian Tarantella on compact disc for my wedding this Saturday. Would you look and see what you have in? I have to pick up some guests for the wedding on Wednesday at the airport so I could pick up the CD that day if you find anything." The young woman’s breathless enthusiasm was clearly conveyed in this memorable phone call.

Thanks to Gates Public Library’s recognition of the popularity of Italian music in this area, the library has made a concerted effort over the years to buy both cassettes and compact discs of popular Italian recordings. The library’s collection ranges from the annual San Remo music festival recordings to popular singers and groups like Lucio Battisti, Angelo Brandmardi, and Drupi to Ornella Vanoni and Iva Zanicchi.

As it turned out the library had several different Tarantellas on CD, so the library director, serving as the reference librarian at this time, set aside some recordings for this patron. She hoped that she had found the right Tarantella for the young woman’s wedding. She also reflected on the power of word of mouth advertising for Gates’ collection that reached all the way to Canadaigua!

The library has popular music from other countries as well though not as large a collection as the Italian recordings. All are shelved in the cassette or compact disc area under Q for International music. All the Italian recordings are cataloged as Q-ITALY so they are grouped together. Any time you are seeking a recording in either cassette or compact disc formats, think your local public library!