The National Art Library at Risk ?
March 4 2021
Picture: vam.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A petition has been started to encourage management of the V&A in London to rethink new proposals that will affect The National Art Library (NAL). The petition claims that proposals have been put forward to cut two thirds of staff who work in the library, amounting to the loss of around 20 jobs. Furthermore, it claims the proposals also include a plan to shut the NAL for twelve months for it to be replaced with an interim online service.
If these proposals are serious, one can imagine the enormous impact this will have on arts researchers. The NAL has an unrivalled collection of specialist books, not to mention their important archive holdings.
These drastic proposals have appeared alongside news that the museum will be making drastic cuts to its curatorial and research departments.
Update - Dr Christina Faraday has written a column for The Telegraph today about director Tristram Hunt's planned changes. It's behind a paywall alas, but I'm sure it's interesting.
