Comments on: Birmingham old and new https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2013/03/birmingham-old-and-new.html What's happening to your library? Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:50:48 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 By: mary worrall https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2013/03/birmingham-old-and-new.html#comment-5711 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:50:48 +0000 http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/?p=4447#comment-5711 The ‘old’ library is falling to bits because of neglect and the fact that it wasn’t built according to the architect’s plan.i.e. concrete where marble should have been used on the exterior. Birmingham Council has been trying for years to build a new central library and lots of money has been spent on at least two previous schemes – printing booklets, comissioning architects, choosing sites, publicity etc. So no money has been spent on the present buiding. This is because a new library for Birmingham has more kudos than keeping the branches going and repaired or the old one repaired… As to the new LoB it is not well liked externally – resembling large boxes covered in barbed wire. Totally out of sympathy and out of ‘scale’ with the buildings around it. And in reply to other comments it does matter what a new building looks like from the outside – it defines what goes on inside it. Try the ‘fly through’ for the LoB – it appears to be a shopping mall. It looks like one, it will attract the same crowd of people to lounge and lark about etc etc. Books will take a back seat! Then no doubt it will be appropriated for other uses….

]]> By: John Kirriemuir https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2013/03/birmingham-old-and-new.html#comment-5706 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:44:05 +0000 http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/?p=4447#comment-5706 Pictures, in different sizes, of the new one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversprite/8557237923/sizes/l/

…and of the old:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversprite/8557236903/sizes/l/

If you look close-up at the latter, you’ll see where numerous bits of concrete have fallen off; same for the inside (I have a piece of an inner library wall that came off, with no effort, in my hand).

The new library: it will be what’s on the inside that counts, with information services, good content, and skilled staff. Am cautiously optimistic; there are a lot of good librarians there. However, funding is another matter altogether. I fear for the future of many of the branch libraries (every one of which I’ve been in has been busy and well used). And also for encroachment e.g. the council moving other services into the central library building over time, at the floor, staff, content and service expense of the library. We’ll see.

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