It has been dispiriting to read comments when people could have avoided considerable anguish – for themselves, for others, and also for those of us who dedicate our working lives to nurturing and celebrating the folk arts – by simply contacting us directly. You’ll find that our Library staff are exceptionally responsive. The new website says on every page "Can’t find what you need? Please tell us!" with a link to email the Library staff. It also links on every page to detailed information about this project.

We won't address here each of the many inaccurate statements. The site underwent extensive testing by expert users: we would never have considered launching with such extreme problems as have been claimed.

If you were unaware of this long-running project until this week, please do engage with our communications channels. Since August we have been spreading the word that this change was coming. It is free to join the thousands of people who have already signed up to our Library email newsletters. Members receive monthly updates by email, and full members also receive English Dance and Song magazine in the post three times a year. You can also reach us on any of the usual social media channels, where people have been actively commenting on our posts about this project.

It is absolutely free to research the tens of thousands of records in our archives. Despite increasing funding challenges, we have every intention that this will always be the case.

Many of us who work for the English Folk Dance and Song Society also support the organisation financially. If you are not already a member, I hope that you will be inspired to join us. Starter membership is only £2 a month, and full Individual membership (which includes the annual Folk Music Journal by post, plus access to the online archive of past editions starting in 1899) is currently £58 for a year. As a Registered Charity we are always delighted to accept donations, and we offer tax-efficient giving for US citizens.

https://www.efdss.org/support-us