Billy,
Many thanks for that important overview from a longstanding member.

Although Billy has not been an active EFDSS member for many years, he has a deep knowledge of listed buildings having been involved in the preservation of music hall theatres around London. As many on Mudcat will know he also has a great knowledge of Music Hall history and as such has bequeathed his extensive collection of Music Hall sheet music and street literature to the VWML which has accepted this. Having seen Billy's extensive collection the VWML must know they have the space to house all of this or they would not have accepted it.

Much of the archive material in the VWML is quite rightly housed in basements in temperature contolled conditions and even more could be kept in this way removing it from the library itself. I'm sure there are plans for this once the said material has been digitised and placed online, freeing up more of the library for book space and researchers. Personally on my frequent visits I have never felt crowded in any way. For a specialised library like this, of international importance, the dozen or so people who visit every day can be easily accommodated as more than half of them have queries which can be dealt with fairly quickly leaving the 4 or 5 researchers to spend their full day or more beavering away at the archives.