The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library’s new website will launch on Monday 15 April.
Tiffany Hore, Library and Archives Director, explains.
At the VWML we are in the final stages of preparation for the launch of our new website, incorporating the new platform for searching our archive catalogues, indexes and the Roud Index. It will be available for users to explore from Monday 15 April, providing the same functionality as the old site, but offering greater clarity and improved stability. We also hope that it will better accommodate the novice searcher, frequently confused by the old site, without losing any of the powerful functionality needed by those with more prior experience and knowledge.
Allowing for the inevitable teething problems which occur whenever a facility so complex is launched, the old version of the archives and indexes will remain available in parallel for the time being. It will not, however, be updated with new material.
I laid out the need for a new site, along with the rationale for going about it as we have, in August 2023. I encourage you to read this earlier article in order to understand the background, the gargantuan task involved, and the significant benefits it will bring. There is little need for repetition here, but I would like to emphasise the fact that this daunting undertaking is not a vanity project; rather, it is essential for the safeguarding of our precious online resources, so vital to folk researchers across the country and beyond.
Many people have devoted countless hours to this huge project. Particular thanks are due to our Archivist, Malcolm Barr-Hamilton; and to the patient staff at Epexio, who have developed their systems in many directions to accommodate our sophisticated requirements.
We encourage you to work with us, sending us feedback and reporting any issues you encounter, so that we can make sure it fully serves the needs of our varied user base. We are also available to assist you as you navigate the new interface. You can contact us at [email protected], or by phoning 020 7241 8959. We hope to offer more formal user training in the coming months.
