Custodial History
When Warner Bros. executive Harry Cohen prepared a rough inventory of approximately 80 cartons of songs and scores stored in the company's warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey, in the late 1970s, he realized it was a treasure trove of rare and significant music. In 1982, the press was alerted about the discovery, and Warner Bros. began meeting with the estates of songwriters whose works were represented in the collection. Most estates agreed that it was appropriate for the collection to come to the Library of Congress. The Gershwin and Kern estates requested that the majority of works by these songwriters be separated and become part of separate collections at the Library. From 1985 to 1989, a team led by Robert Kimball inventoried the collection with funding from the National Institute for Music Theater, the National Endowment for the Arts, and several corporate sponsors.