The University Libraries are pleased to welcome Sara J. Beutter Manus as the director of the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center, effective August 21, 2023. In this role, Sara will work to foster collaborative relationships with students, teaching faculty, and researchers in the Frost School of Music and larger University to promote and develop the Libraries’ services, collections, and spaces.
Sara will lead a subject-specialty library staffed by a talented team that curates collections of music scores, books, sound recordings, musical theater archives, manuscripts, and other resources; offers learning and research services, including consultations and instructional sessions; provides over 150 seats for individual and collaborative study; offers access to music databases, streaming music, and online scores; and provides music-related technology tools and resources, including a Creative Studio featuring audio production booths.
Previously, Sara served for nearly two decades at the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, beginning as the music librarian for Public Services and, as her responsibilities evolved, as the music librarian for Education and Outreach, supporting students and faculty of the Blair School of Music. In that capacity, she led the music information literacy program, coordinated outreach activities and events, curated exhibits, and spearheaded the adoption of a streaming platform to provide access to digital audio and video music collections. She also contributed to the selection and development of the Wilson Library’s collections and resources, including the acquisition of historic hip-hop posters and photographs purchased through a collaboration with the National Museum of African American Music.
In addition to her professional experience at Vanderbilt, Sara has taught continuing education courses on music reference through the American Library Association, a graduate course on music librarianship for the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, and has facilitated workshops for the Southeast Chapter of the Music Library Association. Her publications and presentations on music librarianship have focused on information literacy, outreach, bibliographic resources, diversity and inclusion, and mental health advocacy and its relation to librarianship.
Sara simultaneously earned a Master of Library Science, specializing in music librarianship, along with a Master of Arts in Musicology from Indiana University, Bloomington. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Butler University in Indiana.
Sara J. Beutter Manus can be reached at sjm373@miami.edu.
