Tom Gunn

Tom Gunn, Organist

Paula McIntyre and Thomas Gunn with the new music collection donated to the JU Library.
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When Thomas Gunn, director of Jacksonville University's library, heard about the plan, he placed a bid.The station decided in favor of the university in May. "It's a wonderful gift," said Gunn."We're very pleased to get it." One reason the collection was so large was because the station produced many of its own music programs.The collection will be added to the 1,700 CDs already available on campus. Music students attending the Arlington school often utilize the music library, but pupils in other disciplines that crossover to music can benefit, too. "The collection supports the curriculums at the university," said Gunn."What better way to study history than to hear the music from that time?It provides a more complete outlook; it gives an auditory picture of that period." General library policy allows access to resources for JU students only, but through cooperative agreements such as inter-library loans to other facilities members of the community that are unable to locate a particular compilation locally can borrow from the JU's music library through their library membership. Until the whole collection is appropriately cataloged, no one will be able to use the service.The librarians estimate the process will take several months.
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"Something like this is very intricate," said Gunn of the lengthy procedure."We have to catalog each selection on each CD because you can't get to a particular sonata just by the CD title." Once cataloged, all of the information will eventually be accessible through the library's online public access catalog.Anyone can go to the site to see if the library carries the composition they are looking for.Because of copyright restrictions, works cannot be downloaded.To actually hear the music requires a physical visit.The current music library at the university is housed in a separate room from the rest of the library's materials so that students can listen on headphones.
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"It [the collection] covers all serious music," said Gunn."There's no jazz, folk, pop or show tunes.It's traditional music, usually for orchestras, vocalists or ensembles." Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic, Impressionistic, Early Modern, Modern and late 20th Century compositions are included in the collection.And each genre includes subsets. The music library already covered the basics such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but was light on 20th Century American pieces. "For a long time, our goal was to have a CD for every score in a collection so a student could follow the music visually as they hear it," said Gunn."It's a teaching method to read music.This addition greatly expands our capability to provide a CD for every score of music we have.A music student is looking for form, orchestration, the kinds of sounds from each instrument, the balance between the orchestra and vocals and the interpretation.The interpretation depends on the director and the type of musicians.You can tell a lot about the music and the conductor as an artist by the interpretation." Some miscellaneous pieces, a number of books and other materials were part of the package.
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"We are thrilled that the radio station decided to trust this treasure trove of music to our care," said Gunn."Combined with our existing catalog, JU will have one of the best standard music collections in the area."

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Thomas H. GunnLibrary Director(904) 256-7267tgunn@ju.edu

Tom GunnOrganist

Serving St. Johns for over ten years, Tom has been the Library Director at Jacksonville University for almost 30 years.A native of Reidsville, North Carolina, Tom married his childhood sweetheart, Camellia, over 35 years ago.A graduate of High Point University wher he majored in music, Tom holds graduate degrees in education from the University of North Carolina and library science from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, as well as extensive graduate studies in library science and higher education at the University of Michigan.

Tom has served as organist and choir director at Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.When not in the library or at the keyboard, Tom is an avid deltiologist (post card collector) and his collection numbers in the thousands.He also has a keen interest in geneology and is the descendent of three great-grandfathers who were Confederate soldiers and is the descendent of three ancestors who were soldiers in the Revolutionary War, one of whom is credited with firing the first cannon against the British at the Battle of Yorktown.

Tom and Camellia have two grown daughters, Karen and Laura.

To contact Tom: