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Economic Development

British Library confirms no approach over Library of Birmingham rescue bid

London institute says project to make Library of Birmingham a regional centre is only part of internal discussions at this stage

 

The British Library has warned it is early days after it emerged the landmark London institution could save the from a dramatic reduction in its opening hours.

In December, Birmingham City Council announced resulting in around 100 redundancies.

the British Library had shown an interest in using the Library of Birmingham as a regional centre but the former has now confirmed it has not been approached about the project.

In a statement, it said: "The proposals mentioned in Birmingham City Council's press statement are part of internal council discussions at this stage and the British Library has not been approached regarding these ideas.

"The British Library already works closely in partnership with the Library of Birmingham through a range of projects, including its Business & IP Centre, and looks forward to continuing that close relationship."

Birmingham City Council is keen to see the £188 million library, which opened in September 2013, become a regional centre for the British Library and is planning to approach it and other potential backers to see if it can mitigate cuts.

The Labour-run council has come under fire over the proposals to cut opening hours which have been brought forward in a bid to save £1.5 million a year from its £10 million annual running costs.

Arts and culture groups have said such cuts so soon after the library opened would be a huge embarrassment for the city.