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Library Of Birmingham 2013

  • Thread starter Thread starter BernardR
  • Start date Start date
The 1970s library (near the Council House) is going to be demolished.

The staffing level and opening hours of the new Library of Birmingham (next to the Rep) are being cut.
 
Worryingly the photographic archives seem to be one area seriously under threat by the cuts. There's something very wrong about building this horrendously expensive building which, in a matter of 18 months, can't support the services it was built to offer the public. Even if you don't have time to read this article, there's on online survey at the very end of it. Viv.

https://francishodgson.com/2014/12/22/another-one-bites-the-dust/
 
morning viv as a rule ive never been one to say i told you so but will make an expection this time....if you go back on posts i made when the plans for the new library were revealed (about 4 years ago) i predicted that this project would go belly up and that the building would be sub standard and have a lot of issues..this has been proved right since it opened..what i didnt not expect was the hours of opening to be cut down and also loss of staff...folk like myself who rely on the library for research are going to suffer greatly now...i am disgusted that 200 million pounds has been spent on this building and they still cant get it right...its all very well having what some think a show stopper fancy building but its no good if its customers do not get the service they deserve and which we do pay for especially as so many local libraries have closed...i will go and read the article now but im sure i will not be surprised at its content and if we do lose the photographic side of it i for one will be devastated

lyn
 
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This is a non-political comment, intended to explain why we have this situation.
The library was given outline political approval before the financial crash of 2008 and was one of the last things to survive the austerity axe. It was capital expenditure and received numerous grants. Running costs are from the operating budget (council tax and gov grant, which had been cut) that had been deeply affected by the equal ops ruling from EU(see #214 above). This double whammy (crash and EU ruling) could not have been foreseen at the time of approval.
The cost of repairing the old library would have had to come from the operating budget and would have run into millions, so the already poor opening hours in a sub-standard building would have been cut further to fund the repairs.
 
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leslam said:
This is a non-political comment, intended to explain why we have this situation.
The library was given outline political approval before the financial crash of 2008 and was one of the last things to survive the austerity axe. It was capital expenditure and received numerous grants. Running costs are from the operating budget (council tax and gov grant, which had been cut) that had been deeply affected by the equal ops ruling from EU(see #214 above). This double whammy (crash and EU ruling) could not have been foreseen at the time of approval.
The cost of repairing the old library would have had to come from the operating budget and would have run into millions, so the already poor opening hours in a sub-standard building would have been cut further to fund the repairs.
Click to expand...


morning les...to be honest the only problem i had with the old library was the state it was in..lifts always being out of order and buckets on the 6th floor to catch the leaks from the roof and the smell of damp everywhere...i have to say that whenever i wanted to look at anything in the archives dept i just wrote out a ticket and after a short wait the staff retrieved it from the archives for me..the only time i recall opening hours being cut was when they were transfering from the old library to the new one...so reading your last post we are no better off having this new libary which cost so much to build...in fact i think we are worse off now with what looks like the loss of access to certain materials...its just a shame that the people of birmingham have to suffer...i shall stop moaning now as there is nothing we can do about it..

all the best

lyn
 
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Leslam

A couple of points, the financial crash was in 2008 yes, final approval for the library was in December 2009 and work commenced in January 2010.
 
Was last there on Xmas Eve. Announcement said they were closing at 5.30pm (I was there around 4.30pm).

Some new photos for you guys!













Couldn't get the wifi to work on level 2, so had to go up to level 3, where their wifi usually works!
 
Hi derekw
This seat of government for Britain's second city built during the 1870s in renaissance style touched the lives of 1,055,000 citizens
In 1939.
The council had become responsible for gas ,electricity, and water supplies,bus and tram services parks and libraries,,,,,,,,,
The List of responibilities was a long one
Birmingham corporation was in fact a major employer,some 42 ,ooo people being on its payroll by the end of the second world war,
In my opinion as it as been mentionioned by the said council themselves the other week I think they should cut down on the much to many
Councilors whom are in office nor do we want neibouring counties being formed to us as it was suggested two weeks ago by the media may I say on the subject of ththe new library and I have not seen it yet in person but I hope it does not go the same way as the old letting the men of the night
Go in and spending time reading news papers and there was a lot of undesirables taking up valued seating where upon us folk
Whom are there for the researching these guys was killing time before they are allowed into certain hostels I found it very frustrating when I used to go
And they would be shouting across to each other or speaking loud best wishes to all for 2015 Astonian,,,,,,,
 
I have removed all posts criticising a named member of BCC as these are inappropriate, consequently I have had to delete those in support of the official.

Lovely photos ellbrown

Alberta
 
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very embarrassing viv...i also know that carl chinn is very worried about these proposed cuts...its bad enough now getting an appointment for the archives section to look at materials.. usually 1 to 2 weeks wait depending on the demand so we will be looking at a much longer waiting time if the cuts do go ahead and its to be run on a skeleton staff and a massive cut to opening hours

lyn
 
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Lyn, I didn't realise the waiting time for the Archives was two weeks now!

Last time I tried to use the electronic "open access" shelves I was told to try again in a few hours as someone else was researching, or else book a time. I always used to just pop in on my way to shopping in Town but I can't now. (I know the material is safe in those cabinets, but what;ts the point of having it if we can't use it!)
Have you noticed, no-one posts on the Forum "If you are calling the Library can you look-up for me"?? It's because you can't anymore!!!
Rant over!
rosie.
 
rosie said:
Lyn, I didn't realise the waiting time for the Archives was two weeks now!

Last time I tried to use the electronic "open access" shelves I was told to try again in a few hours as someone else was researching, or else book a time. I always used to just pop in on my way to shopping in Town but I can't now. (I know the material is safe in those cabinets, but what;ts the point of having it if we can't use it!)
Have you noticed, no-one posts on the Forum "If you are calling the Library can you look-up for me"?? It's because you can't anymore!!!
Rant over!
rosie.
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hi ya rosie and i totally agree with you...i am only going on my experiences and as you know for the past 7 years i have been going to the library to look for old photos of various streets and roads not just for myself but for other members on this forum who cant get to the library...you dont need an appointment to view the book that lists what photos you want to look at but when you have found what you want to look at you have to fill out a slip giving the details and then take that to the desk and arrange a firm appointment so that staff can retreive them from the archives ready for when you arrive on your appointment day...they no longer retrieve photos while you wait as they used to do...and yes i have had to wait up to 2 weeks for a firm appointment but like i say with the impending cuts i can see us waiting for much longer...
this library was never going to work...i would liken it to say buying a roll royce car on HP and then realising that you cant afford the petrol to run it..

lyn
 
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It appears not only is it an ugly looking monstrosity but cannot carry out its designed functions !! and this is before the proposed cuts !!! methinks they should remove a few councillers rather than library staff. Rant over. Eric
 
well said eric and i forgot to say in my last post re the old photographs that in the old library there were boxes of index cards giving details of not just streets but schools..pubs and other buildings that we could look at but since the library has opened these have not been out on public display and everytime i ask when will they be all i get is...we dont know...also with regards to the electronic electoral roll booths..think they have about 6....only one can be used at a time because we have to wait for whoever is inside the one being used to finish their research and close that booth before another one can open..they do not all open at the same time...

lyn
 
Lyn
I did not realise there were electronic electoral roll booths. the couple of times I've looked at thr olls recently I've just gone to the books. Have the booths got all the early data on , so you don't have to go to a microfilm machine?
 
mikejee said:
Lyn
I did not realise there were electronic electoral roll booths. the couple of times I've looked at thr olls recently I've just gone to the books. Have the booths got all the early data on , so you don't have to go to a microfilm machine?
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well now im stumped mike..i was there about 8 months back looking up the 1920s e rolls for the globe inn hospital st and the books were in the booths so unless they have some on shelves and some in the booths i dont know unless of course the booths have been defunked...as you know ive been pretty poorly for a week with the flu but as soon as i am back on my feet i shall be going to archives so i will have a look to see whats what with the e rolls..

lyn
 
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Maybe i misunderstood. When I went the books were on shelves that were compacted together, and you had to press buttons to open up to get to the ones you wanted. Is that what you meant by electronic booths?
 
mikejee said:
Maybe i misunderstood. When I went the books were on shelves that were compacted together, and you had to press buttons to open up to get to the ones you wanted. Is that what you meant by electronic booths?
Click to expand...
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yes thats it mike but as i was saying only one booth can open up at any one time so unless the booth that you want is already open you have to wait until its finished with and closed before another one can be opened...
 
I've been to the archives 3 or 4 times. Never did I have to wait as much as a week and the last time I got an appointment for the following day.

That was for church records, don't know if other records are different.
 
hi MWS you were very lucky then to be able to see the material you wanted the next day..mind you i have to admit that i do ask them for quite a lot and its always for photographs

lyn
 
Lyn
No one else was using them at the time, but I took several of the books at a time to one of the tables to read them (and no-one objected) , so someone could have used them while I was at the table.
 
mikejee said:
Lyn
No one else was using them at the time, but I took several of the books at a time to one of the tables to read them (and no-one objected) , so someone could have used them while I was at the table.
Click to expand...

yes mike i also took my books to a table i think thats the idea but when i was there there were 3 other people in a booth i didnt want so i had to wait over 10 mins for them to choose what books they wanted and get out of the booth and close it so that i could go into another one...
 
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