Archives and Special Collections - Whitaker Collection
The Whitaker Collection consists of more than 10,000 vinyl recordings of classical, jazz, and contemporary music. The collection was amassed by Russell C. Whitaker of Natick, Mass. After Whitaker's death in 1992, Mark Malkovich, the director of the Newport Music Festival and an avid record collector himself, realized the depth of the collection and helped arrange its donation to Salve Regina. [View the PDF article from The Providence Journal.]
For the most part, the collection seems to be organized in the same order as it was maintained by Mr. Whitaker. Single-disc classical recordings are grouped by composer, and multi-disk boxed sets are grouped together. Jazz recordings are organized by primary performer, and world music is shelved together. Researchers can use the library catalog to browse the collection in order, as it appears on the shelves.
The Whitaker Collection is searchable both in the library catalog. If you would like to listen to a specific recording, please note its full call number and title.
Anyone may listen to the original recordings in the Archives and Special Collections by appointment only. Please contact the University Archivist at archives@salve.edu or 401-341-2276, to set up an appointment.
Salve Regina faculty and staff may check out records for class or personal use, but the records do not circulate to students. The Archivist can also make digital versions available on request for certain uses, where allowed by copyright laws.
The Whitaker records are not available for interlibrary loan.