National Art Library Update
March 18 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It seems that the Directors of the V&A in London have changed their minds to lay-off 20 members of staff at the National Art Library (NAL). Over 10,000 signatures were gathered to oppose the proposed changes. The organisation involved in the petition have said they have secured a further 6 months of furloughing for the staff involved.
However, it looks like the NAL will still be closed for a further 6 months while a restructuring programme takes place. This is half the amount of time that was initially suggested.
There is mention of some sort of 'skeleton service' in the interim, but it seems likely that students and researchers will have to wait until September at the earliest to gain access to the library.
I'll post more details whenever they appear.
Update - An official spokesperson have confirmed that the current plan is for the NAL to reopen in December 2021. The library will be testing a digital interim service between May and December, which might allow some specialist researchers to make appointments to visit certain materials Here is a full write-up by The Art Newspaper.
