º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Economic Development

Deal to keep Library of Birmingham open until 9pm gets cautious welcome

Commentators welcome extended opening hours, after major cutbacks, but others fear the library service is being diluted after shake-up

The Library of Birmingham will be open longer on weekdays(Image: Birmingham Post & Mail Flickr Group: Peter Bullard)

The new deal which will see the has been given a cautious welcome in the city.

The will move to the next year which will see it open from 9am to 9pm on weekdays.

The announcement eases pressure on Birmingham City Council after an angry reaction to reducing opening hours from as part of wider cost-cutting.

It has been welcomed by Birmingham residents on social media – although some fear the library is being diluted from its original focus.

Philip Meers, on the , said: “Glad to see that someone has started thinking outside the box (literally with the design of the library, which I think is great). A library should have a variety of educational uses so moving the Brasshouse makes sense.”

However, blogmywoofs, commenting at birminghampost.co.uk, said: “Do they not see that what they’re doing is making LOB basically a totally reduced service for what it’s actually supposed to be.... A LIBRARY into just a husk of a place that lost it’s way and just shoving in other services (as good and useful for people as they may be) making the main point of the building redundant.”

Fellow commentator Mr Onyeche added: “The tie-up with Brasshouse Language School is a great move to get the opening hours extended, will help make the Library a truly world-class educational and cultural facility.”

Justin Gray said on Twitter: “This has to be good news.”