From PC to Mac via external hard drive

i really need some advice please...
i have recently moved out of my parents house to live with my partner
i bought a compatible external hard drive for PC and Mac so i could transfer all my music/iphone data etc
the hard drive works fine with the mac so there is no issue there
however, my partner also has an external hard drive. itunes only works when its plugged in and all of his music library comes up etc
i tried to get itunes to do that for my hard drive so that i wont lose any of my iphone data etc...
i am yet to succeed and now whenever i put my partners hard drive it and click itunes, itunes is now blank
is it possible to have to seperate libraries and for itunes to recognise them? i.e when i plug my hard drive in and click itunes all my files and music appear
then if i take mine out and put my partners in, for his music to appear etc
i would really appreicate any suggestions?
thanks

When you connect a different hard disk, launch iTunes while holding the option key down and you'll get a prompt to select a library or create a new one.  Select the library on your HD.  Alternate iTunes library: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1589
This could become cumbersome, so check some of these alternatives: 
How to use multiple iPods, iPads, or iPhones with one computer, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1495

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