Accessing an external HD as a shared library

Question

Here's my situation: I have a personal collection of music (about 30 GB) on my MBP hard disk, which I manage with iTunes. As a part-time job, I am also a DJ. I recently ripped all of my 3500+ CDs onto an external dive, which takes up almost 200GB. What I would like to do is to access this as a shared itunes library - as if it were on another computer. I know how to use the external drive as my only itunes folder, but that's not what I'm asking. By using it as a shared library, I can have the music that I use with me at all times without connecting the large external, and only bring that along when I have a gig.
This will all be done under the latest version of Leopard, on the December 2008 model MBP. Thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this for me!

Answer 1

So are you saying that iTunes need to be running on a computer in order to share its library?
Yes.
If yes, then I obviously can't do what I want.
I can't tell really what you wan tat this opint.
As Meg pointed out in her first post, you can create 2 ibraries. One library on the external for DJing and one on the internal for you own use.
Does iTunes crawl all shared network directories for "iTunes Library.xml" files? I'm just trying to figure out how it searches for shared libraries!
No.
iTunes is running and you set it up in iTunes prefs -> Sharing to Share the library (or playlists).
iTunes on that computer will then broadcast that info on th elocal network.
If iTunes on another computer on that network is set up to look for Shared libraries, it will get that info and you can play songs from that Shared library.
Creating a new library is completely different.
Hold Option and launch iTunes.
Select *Create library* and select somewhere to put this new library.
It will be a complete, new iTunes folder. Any songs you add are added only to this library.
To use a different library (not a "shared" library), hold Hold Option and launch iTunes. Select *Choose library* and select the iTunes library file in the iTunes folder of the library you want.
This is what some people do when they want to keep a library for lossless and a library of AAC/MP3 for loading onto their iPod.