The Guitar Department has actively sought to build a first-class collection of materials for use by guitar students and those interested in research on guitar-related topics. The primary components of this collection fall into three categories, the core circulating collection, the core non-circulating collection, and the Guitar Foundation of America Archive. In all, we have over 3000 cataloged items related to guitar, and another estimated 1000 uncataloged items in the GFA Archive

CORE CIRCULATING COLLECTION

  • Solo guitar scores (guitar alone): 500
  • Scores of chamber music w/guitar: 300
  • Guitar concerto scores: 15
  • Guitar method books/pedagogical materials: 65
  • Books on guitar-related subjects: 168
  • Guitar-related periodicals: 20
  • Guitar-related videos: 25
  • Guitar CD's: 275

CORE NON-CIRCULATING COLLECTION

This component incorporates the complete works of composers, usually in urtext or facsimile presentation. It includes all the primary guitar composers, such as Giuliani, Sor, Coste, Mertz, Zani de Ferranti, Paganini, Legnani, Llobet, Tarrega, Ponce, Barrios, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and many more. In addition, it includes complete lute and Baroque guitar compositions of such composers as Dowland, da Milano, de Visee, Corbetta, Sanz and others.

GUITAR FOUNDATION OF AMERICA ARCHIVE

After the GFA Festival was hosted in Akron in 1988, it was determined by the Board of Directors to relocate the organization's primary archive to Akron (from Ohio State University in Colombus). This outstanding collection is maintained by the University Library's special Collections Department and treated as a notable historic archive. Among its components are the following items:

  • Nearly two thousand guitar scores, many original editions of historic interest:
  • Nearly 100 books on guitar-related topics
  • The complete issues of ten guitar periodicals
  • The complete newsletters and other publications of over fifty guitar societies
  • Over one thousand uncatalogued items of ephemera, including advertisements and programs from scores of guitar festivals, symposia and conventions.