PUBLIC DOMAIN

IMSLP is an online collection of public domain scores or scores that have been licensed for public use by contemporary composers. This means the content is free to use, though sometimes there are restrictions based on the country in which you access the site (e.g., some scores are available in Europe, but not the U.S., and vice versa).

This means you'll be able to find a lot of music from the early twentieth century and prior, but as a rule, works published after 1923 won't be available. For those, you'll have to borrow from the RBML, another library via ILL, or just buy what you need.

  PARTS

IMSLP contains parts for large ensemble works, like orchestral works. Libraries typcially don't collect orchestral parts (except when they are published in excerpt books), so this is a great resource to check when you're prepping an audition and looking for the exceprts for your instrument.

  SEARCH BY MELODY

You can use the "search by melody" feature and use a digital keyboard to plunk out the tune you're hoping to find. Pretty sweet.

  CONTRIBUTORS WELCOME