Library of Birmingham future operation

The following is a statement clarifying the position over the future operation of the Library of Birmingham, in light of recent media reports in which it is claimed that the library is being “outsourced”:

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “When the new Library of Birmingham opens on 3 September 2013 it will be managed by Birmingham City Council.

“The city council is committed to ensuring that the Library of Birmingham delivers a sustainable and excellent service to the people of the city and becomes an important driver for cultural regeneration.

“We have thought carefully about how to achieve this, which is why we established a Development Trust in 2011 to support the project, working closely with the library service, to explore additional funding opportunities.

“A procurement process for the operational management of the new library was started earlier this year but is not currently being progressed.

“The city council's priority at this point is that the iconic building is completed, opened and starts to deliver an excellent range of services for residents and visitors to Birmingham.

“Once this enormous task has been completed successfully, and we start to get a greater understanding of the requirements of the service, then we will be in a better position to put together detailed specifications for the running of the new library.

“We have commissioned a world class library and we will not be rushed in the process to ensure that it delivers an excellent service that is both value for money and sustainable.”

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