The Swiss RISM records music manuscripts and printed musical sources in Swiss libraries and archives according to international scientific standards. It therefore contributes essentially to the conservation of the cultural assets in music in Switzerland. The inventorized collections are accessible to musical performers as well as to musicological research worldwide via CD-ROM and internet. The inventorized collections can also be published in form of printed catalogues.
Since its foundation in 1956 the Swiss RISM branch has recorded systematically more than 10'000 prints before 1800, collective prints of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and other works about music, more than 34'000 manuscripts after 1600 as well as more than 21'000 prints of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Swiss RISM office is the central information service concerning the national collections of written or printed musical sources and documents of music for questions coming from Switzerland or abroad.
Since 1996 the Swiss RISM branch is organized as an independent association mainly financed through contributions for projects and commissions for inventorization by libraries and archives.
The following founding members established Swiss RISM Association on June 21st 1996:

- Swiss Musicological Society (SMG)
- Association of Swiss Music Collections (ASCM)
- Swiss Society for the Rights of Authors of Musical Works (SUISA)
- Swiss Music Council (SMR: german version, french version)