The Parkway Central Library is made up of a robust collection of a dozen or so smaller discipline-specific libraries. The Music Department and the Philadelphia Jazz Project paired composers with librarians in nine of these departments. Each composer acted as a model student chasing curiosity as guided by a subject-expert librarian. In creating new works, the very intellectual architecture of the building acted as major civic source of artistic creation.

In commissioning new works, the library is fostering new knowledge. In providing a performance venue for musicians, the library is not only providing the raw material and librarian talent for musicians to thrive, but is also expanding the creative economy. Finally, the Music Department is a conservatory quality music library. In hosting local talent we are acting as a conservatory would in showing off the summit of the study of music for audiences and students.

The nine concerts of the 2016-2017 season reached over 1,000 library patrons across race, class and generational lines. Many of these patrons were unaware of the richness or diversity of the collections. Musicians are increasingly inquiring about performing. The collaboration on this series has led to planning for the fourth season in which we deepen the investigations into distinct special collections of the Parkway Central Library.