The impact of the pandemic on musicologists’ use of technology

This paper discusses findings of a global survey of nearly 600 musicologists in 35 countries in 2022, asking about their uses of technology during the pandemic. The survey focused on participants’ frustrating and rewarding experiences, risks, limitations and benefits of technology, and highlighting changes they would keep after the pandemic. There was a preference for digital resources over physical counter-parts, apart from where physical books were more popular than e-books. Zoom and other video conferencing software were frequently mentioned in both positive and negative terms, particularly around music performance and fieldwork, conferences and collaborations. Access and availability of online resources was positive, due to availability, and negative due to losing the analogue experience. Methodologies had also been impacted on, allowing researchers to ask new questions, while shaping and limiting these questions. There was impact of technology on community-building and enhancing the ability to meet across borders while limiting networking opportunities. The shift to teaching online impacted on teaching music performance, and heavy teaching loads were prioritised over research, highlighting the interconnected roles of the musicologist researcher in teaching and learning. This research contributes towards an understanding of the complex nature of the information behaviour of musicologists. Insight into how musicologists‘ attitudes and practices have changed and fulfil their multiple roles suggests they are moving closer to the digital humanities field in their practices.