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Collection Development Manual > Libraries & collections > Central Library > Performing arts

Performing arts

The Performing Arts collection consists of materials on theater and stage productions, film and the motion picture industry, dance, and musical theater, and some items on circuses, amusement parks, and puppetry. Biographies, histories, filmographies, genre studies, practical works on set design and make up, some materials on costume design for the theater, performing arts business and career guides, and studies of film, television, and the stage in the different countries of the world are all a part of this collection.

Reference materials in the Performing Arts collection include encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, histories of specific time periods, genres, or artistic movements, collections of theater and film reviews, collections of cast and crew credits for past performances, and biography collections. The collection of historical theater and film reviews is particularly notable. The library owns significant works to support historical research into film and theater production, particularly the New York and London stages and the United States film industry. The dance portion of the Performing Arts collection contains many works useful for research on ballet production and history in the United States, particularly New York City.

Students, teachers, amateur and professional video and filmmakers, actors, dancers, designers, and recreational readers with an interest in the entertainment industry all use this collection.

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Some materials rel ating to drama and theater are located in the Literature collection - these include complete plays, monologues, collections of scenes, critical works on drama and theater pieces, and instructional works on screenwriting and playwriting. Works on performance art may be kept with the Performing Arts collection, Art and Architecture collection, or the Literature collection, depending on their subject matter and treatment.

Though materials on make up for stage and screen are part of the Performing Arts collection, items on personal beauty, make up, and hairdressing are kept with the House and Home collection, and most works on costume design are part of the Art and Architecture collection.

Materials about advertising in television and radio are kept with the Business and Economics collection, and technical aspects of television and radio broadcasting are kept with the Technology collection.

At Central Library, the Art and Architecture and Literature collections are kept in the Humanities rooms, and the House and Home, Business and Economics, and Technology collections are kept in the Science & Business room.