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Introduction Vaughan Williams Memorial Library ONLINE '... by
a gradual process of professionalization the VWML has become the most
important concentration of material on traditional song, dance, and
music in the country' Today the library is known as the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) in honour of the eminent composer, song collector and President of the EFDSS, Ralph Vaughan Williams, who died in 1958. Up until that point it was called the Cecil Sharp Library as it chiefly comprised Sharp’s personal library, which he bequeathed to the EFDS in 1924. Its first permanent home was established with the opening of Cecil Sharp House in 1930, and Sharp’s daughter Joan was the first librarian. With the amalgamation of EFDS and the Folk Song Society and subsequent bequests, donations and purchases, the library has developed considerably over the years, most notably with the addition of the literature, sound and manuscript collections of other eminent folklorists and collectors of the twentieth century. These include the original papers of Lucy Broadwood, Janet Blunt, Anne Gilchrist, Maud Karpeles, George Butterworth, George Gardiner, the Hammond Brothers and Francis Collinson; copies of the papers and notebooks of Sabine Baring-Gould, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frank Kidson, Gavin Greig and James Madison Carpenter; and the field recordings of Percy Grainger, Mike Yates and the BBC Folk Music Archive. VWML is England’s national folk music and dance archive - a one stop shop for anybody interested in the folk arts. The Mission of the VWML
is to:
Multi-MediaVWML is a multi-media library. The collections include: books, manuscripts, off-prints, pamphlets, periodicals, serials, press cuttings, broadsides, prints, paintings, line drawings, photographs, slides, artefacts, ephemera, records, reel-to-reel tapes, phonograph cylinders, videos, cine films, compact discs, and audio cassettes. While some of the materials date back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries - for example the dance collections of Playford, Thompson and Walsh - all relevant contemporary information is added where possible, such as the photographs and video recordings of calendar customs made by Brian Shuel and Cyril Cox. VWML is, above all, a living collection.
CoverageThe bulk of the VWML’s collections relate to British folk culture and elements of British based cultures in other lands, particularly North America and Ireland. Song and dance are only two facets of a rich and fascinating tapestry of traditional and customary practices which attracts wide interest, from media and arts organisations to educational and state institutions, and from private researchers to professional performers. These practices can only be understood in their social context and through comparison with other cultures. Hence, there is also a wealth of information from and about other world cultures, as well as important works on social history and folklore. Subjects covered include: Folk/traditional/popular song, Child Ballads, Broadside ballads, Industrial/occupational songs, sea songs/shanties, Singing games, Nursery rhymes, Street cries, Carols/hymns, Rounds/glees/part songs, Music hall, Display/ceremonial dance, Morris/sword dance, Maypole dancing, Social/country dance, Square/barn/Playford dance, Step/solo dance, Historical dance, International dance, Customs/festivals, Tales/myths/legends, Social history, Oral history, Dialects, Folklore, Mummers' plays & traditional drama, Animal disguise, May Day, Collecting/fieldwork, Musical instruments, Instrumental music, Street literature, EFDSS, Folk revival, Music history, and Biographies. ArrangementClassification is derived from the Library of Congress scheme. Author and subject catalogues are complemented by specific catalogues and indexes, covering: Songs, Dances, Tunes, Folk plays, Photographs, Periodicals, Films and videos, Microforms, Manuscript collections, and Press cuttings. The sound library indexes cover: Performers, Vocal title, Tune/dance title, Geographical area, Instruments, and Subject. Indexes for material added since 1995 are computerised. Pre-1995 material is accessed through card catalogues, which are in the process of retroconversion. CDs, audio-cassettes and subject study guides based on the collections are available for purchase. For details see Publications.
AccessAccess to VWML is free
to Members of the EFDSS who, if living within the UK, may also borrow
some of the materials. Non-members are charged a daily fee and
do not have borrowing privileges. Postal and telephone and e-mail
enquiries are welcomed, a service charge applicable to non-members. Copying of materials held by VWML is regulated by the copyright laws, which are strictly observed. No unique or unpublished material is copied without the copyright holder’s consent. Policies and GuidelinesClick on the links below to go to a .pdf file detailing individual policies:
Staff: A specialist staff of
long standing and experience are on hand to help and advise:
Opening Hours:Tuesday to Friday 09.30 to 17.30 (sometimes closed for lunch) and first and third Saturdays each month (except August), 10:00 to 16:00. The Sound Library is closed 12.00 to 14.00 every day. How to reach the Library:Check Location for travel and parking details. Nearest bus routes
- nos. 274 and C2 Post: VWML, Cecil
Sharp House,
FundingVWML is funded and maintained by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, with additional support from the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust, the National Folk Music Fund and many individual members and clubs. If you would like to help develop and promote the work of the Library you could: join the EFDSS, finance a project, publication or event*, buy a book or sound recording, donate or bequeath funds or material to the Library*, donate or bequeath funds to the National Folk Music Fund*. * Contact the Librarian for details.
Institutional SubscriptionsFor educational institutions, business and media organisations, VWML runs an institutional subscription scheme whereby their students/employees have free access. Contact the Librarian for details.
Library Study GuidesA growing number of Study Guides and Bibliographies are now available via the Internet. Please go to the Resources Index to find them. Vaughan Williams Memorial Library ONLINE
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