When is the Listening Library open?
View our public listening hours here. To schedule a visit outside of our public programming, email the Director at ralstonlistening@sewanee.edu.
What kind of music does the Listening Library have?
While our LP and CD collections aims to be representative of the standard repertoire of Western art music (the genre broadly defined as “Classical”), we also have a small collection of jazz, rock, blues, country, folk, and other non-classical recordings on LP. Additionally, the Carlson Listening Room has access to high-resolution, lossless streaming services such as Qobuz and TIDAL (played via Audirvana), increasing our ability to accommodate listener requests by millions of recordings across genres.
May I play my personal LPs and/or CDs on the Listening Library's playback systems?
Visitors are welcome to play their own LPs/CDs using the equipment in the Crawford Listening Room (headphones and a key are available to all duPont Library patrons at the Circulation Desk).
Visitors to the Carlson Listening Room are also welcome to bring LPs/CDs from their personal collections; however, we are only able to play mint or near-mint recordings on the equipment, at the discretion of our staff.
Note: None of our equipment can play 78 rpm records.
How is the Ralston Library funded?
The William Ralston Listening Library is primarily funded by individual donations. To make a tax-deductible gift, please click here. We are grateful to the friends and music lovers who help maintain the best listening experience possible for our students, faculty, and guests.
