Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Houman Behzadi. I’m the Music Collection Development Librarian for the University of Toronto Libraries and Faculty of Music. I build and manage the Music Library’s print, A/V, and electronic collections. I also provide reference and liaison services for faculty and students. Aside from my main duties, I serve on the Music Library Association’s Collection Development Committee, a venue to connect and share ideas with colleagues from other institutions.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently involved in the preservation and digital curation of the Kathleen Parlow Collection. Parlow was an internationally renowned Canadian violinist and we’re fortunate to have her archive here at U of T. The project requires a high level of collegial and inter-departmental collaboration – one of the strengths of our library staff. Our work has received immediate attention from several researchers in Canada and abroad, which encourages us to continue investing in such projects.

What are you currently reading?

Aside from many articles and books related to my work or research topics, I devote my time to reading music and practicing the violin. I’m currently learning the Brahms violin concerto, a piece I greatly admire.

What is one tool, technique, or resource you wish more people knew about?

OCLC WorldCat. It is a great discovery tool for librarians, faculty and students alike. I particularly like it because I often find links to a great number of digitized and freely accessible public domain resources I might not have found otherwise.