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Exclusive New MixTape Musical Compilation Collection Available Only at SCLSNJ
About Blog Post
Mar 3, 2022
by SCLSNJ
Music has the unique ability to lift the heart and warm the soul, to open up the floodgates of your tears or send you down a glorious journey of nostalgia and unforgettable remembrances. Music (literally) creates the soundtrack of your life.
Some individuals believe that with the increasing popularity of streaming services, CDs are soon to be a thing of the past. Statistics collected by the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) tell a different story.
SCLSNJ’s music collection comprises over 31,000 adult and children’s CDs, which circulated over 38,000 times in 2021. Because of this continuing demand, the Library maintains and grows their musical collection across a variety of genres including: classical (vocal and instrumental), pop/rock, Latin, rap, compilations, American contemporary folk, world, jazz, blues, country western/bluegrass, new age, soundtracks, religious, sounds, holiday, and children's music.
To further promote this in-demand collection, SCLSNJ will be releasing exclusive MixTape compilation sets, allowing customers to binge tunes for free with their library card.
“One of the traditional roles of libraries is to showcase and promote the best of the best, and we've really knocked it out of the park with our new MixTape collection,” said Brian Auger, county library administrator. “These boxed sets are an idea conceived and developed by your Library's talented staff. Each set is the product of one or more staff passionate about a particular genre of our rich musical heritage, past and present. You will not be disappointed.”
“With this new collection, customers can rediscover a format that they may not have access to - or may have forgotten,” said Amy Atzert, collection development librarian. “Also, customers can lose themselves listening to entire albums - which is different from streaming services - and hear the songs from start to finish like the artist had intended their listeners to do.”
Each collection will feature 4 or more discs, have a loan period of 21 days, and as the Library System has moved to a fines-free model, customers will only be charged fees if the set is lost or damaged. The sets will allow music lovers to explore a variety of artists, in sets reminiscent of custom-created mixtapes produced by children of the 80s.
“I loved my mixtapes (actual tapes) back when I was much younger,” said Atzert. “ I loved being able to hone in on a type of music from different artists. We are recreating that here. You can get that same excitement from celebrated artists in a wide variety of genres - now packaged in one easy kit. This is an exciting way to explore or rediscover artists from the past or the most current, buzzworthy artists of today. Revisit Grand Ole Opry greats like Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash with one kit, and pair that set with contemporary country artists like Blake Shelton and Kasey Musgraves.”
This new collection type will introduce 30 unique sets and feature 150 unique musical titles. Additional sets will be released over the coming months, offering customers more opportunities to add to the soundtrack of their days.
Look for these exclusive sets at your local branch. Explore a Festival of Females with Joan Osborne’s “Breakfast in Bed,” Sarah McLachlan’s “Playlist: Closer - The Best of Sarah McLachlan,” Tracy Chapman’s “New Beginning,” Sheryl Crow’s “The Very Best of Sheryl Crow,” and Bonnie Raitt’s “The Best of Bonnie Raitt.” And, if you are feeling a little down, try Better Be Blues with B.B. King’s “Greatest Hits,” Sue Foley’s “Pinky’s Blues,” Tommy Castro’s “A Bluesman Came To Town,” Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “The Real Deal: Greatest Hits 1,” and Muddy Waters’ “I’m Ready.”
Discover your next favorite MixTape. To discover all SCLSNJ has to offer, visit SCLSNJ.org or connect with SCLSNJ on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.