Emerson Morgan
(he/him/his)
- Librarian for Special Collections
Areas of Study
Offices
Education
- PhD, AM, historical musicology, medieval studies, Harvard University
- MS, archives management, Simmons University
- MAR, religion and the arts, Yale University
- AB, music, Vassar College
Biography
As the Librarian for Special Collections in the Conservatory Library, I enjoy bringing scholars, performers, students, critics, and community members together with music materials for research, teaching, learning, and playing. I am trained both as an archivist and as a historical musicologist, with special experience in music source studies.
College and Conservatory students are especially welcome to consider using special collections for Winter Term projects, paper topics, recital repertory, and library exhibits. Please contact me to set up an appointment.
At Oberlin, I represent the Libraries on the Cultural Property Steering Committee, and I help lead the Libraries' Distinctive Collections Working Group and its Digital Policy Workgroup. I also serve on the advisory council of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and as the organizational liaison (2022–25) between the Music Library Association and the American Musicological Society.
Emerson Morgan, Christina Linklater, and Pramantha Tagore, “‘Pure or tainted?’ Representing a source of colonial Bengali-English music in RISM,” Fontes Artis Musicae: Journal of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres 69, no. 3: special issue in celebration of RISM’s 70th anniversary (July–September 2022): 229–252.
Emerson Morgan, Chant and urban procession in Rouen 1150–1450, Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, May 2018.
Liza Vick, Anne C. Shreffler, Monica Hershberger, Emerson Morgan, and Natasha Roule, “Music history and repertory: critical research fluency for Harvard undergraduates, a team approach,” in Information literacy in music: an instructor’s companion, 121–129, edited by Beth Christensen, Erin Conor, and Marian Ritter, Music Library Association technical reports 35 (Middleton, Wisconsin: Music Library Association and A-R Editions, 2018).
Emerson Morgan, “A previously unknown source for the Orgelbüchlein: Yale Misc. MS. 545,” Bach: Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute 42, no. 2 (2011): 64–73.
Emerson Morgan, “Sounding Muslim in the early Americas: an exhibit to accompany Omar at Oberlin,” Conservatory Library, Oberlin College and Conservatory, December 2–11, 2024.
Emerson Morgan, “Medieval manuscripts in a digital age,” Book Arts series, Forsythe Room (410A), Seeley G. Mudd Center, Oberlin College and Conservatory, March 5, 2025. Previously offered March 6, 2024.
Emerson Morgan, “Alleluia decoder ring: recovering liturgical manuscript provenance,” Medieval and Early Modern Studies series, Rice Hall room 100B, Oberlin College and Conservatory, November 4, 2024.
Emerson Morgan, Oberlin Conservatory Library holdings exhibited at the twentieth anniversary conference of the North American British Music Studies Association, Oberlin College and Conservatory and online, July 25–28, 2024.
Oberlin Conservatory Library (@obieconlib), “#OberlinCollege first-year students spent Winter Term 2024 with Chinese and Japanese music in #ConservatoryLibrary #SpecialCollections!” Instagram, January 30, 2024.
Ethan DiPietro, Özüm Pamukçu, Archer Parks, and Samuel Saomek Srithongkum, “Presentations: Jazz & Media Studies through the Neumann Archive,” papers and performances, Moffett Auditorium, Seeley G. Mudd Center, Oberlin College and Conservatory, May 10, 2023.
Brandee Younger (@harpista), “We had such a blast on Monday at Oberlin - but the highlight of my day was being invited to the @obieconlib’s Special Collections department and seeing their wonderful collection on Dorothy Ashby.” Instagram, April 26, 2023.
Sid Comings OC ’69, Ken Grossi, Emerson Morgan, and Heath Patten, “Where have all the flowers gone? Folk music at Oberlin College,” three-part exhibition, Terrell Library, Conservatory Library, and Archives, Oberlin College and Conservatory, April 14 – June 16, 2023.