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  • Performing Arts Collection:
    Historical Sound Recordings

    Victrola advertisement
    "The world's greatest singers, players, bands and orchestras enter your home with Victrola" Advertisement for a phonograph player (1915)

    The Department of Special Collections holds over 250,000 audio recordings in a variety of formats. Many of these recordings are unique while many more are commercially issued 78 rpm and cylinder recordings. Commercial recordings are cataloged in Pegasus, the Library's online catalog, while unique recordings are most often indexed in collection finding guides in the Online Archive of California. This partial list highlights some of the larger collections held by the Library.

    Collections of Commercial Sound Recordings

    Collections with Unique Sound Recordings