The Paul Hamlyn public library at the British Museum (BM), which is home to more than 50,000 books and journals, closed last month as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

A BM spokeswoman said it regretted having to close the library as part of efforts to accommodate a 15% cut to the museum’s grant-in-aid budget.

The move was criticised by Annie Mauger, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

“We are sad and very concerned about the closure of the Paul Hamlyn library, she said. “This collection  is not only live and valuable to learners and researchers today, but also has great historic value in its own right.

“I wrote to [director] Neil MacGregor about the proposals some time ago and did not receive a reply.

“We asked to know what the plans were for looking after this collection – and that remains a great concern.

“Above all, we are concerned about the library staff and the loss of expertise to the British Museum. Librarians are key to providing access to the knowledge contained in collections.”

The Historic Libraries Forum has also raised concerns about staff redundancies and the future of the library collection.

The BM canvassed 11 staff members as part of a 90-day internal consultation about the future of the library. Two members of staff have been redeployed and nine have taken voluntary redundancy.
 
“Several are serving notice periods and the museum will keep them informed of future redeployment opportunities as they become available,” said the BM spokeswoman.

She added that the museum was looking into how the books housed in the library “can best be managed so that they continue to be used for the maximum benefit of the museum”.

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation declined to comment but Robert Dufton, director of the foundation, told Museums Journal in June that he would be “disappointed” to see the library close, stressing the library’s role in “enabling effective and deep learning”.

The library’s collections cover the range of world cultures represented in the museum and include material relating to the history and development of the BM. The facility also houses a collection of rare books from the House of Commons.