Wallace Collection consults on closing library and archive

London’s Wallace Collection is consulting on closing its library and archive to the public.

The plans could mean redundancies for two full time members of staff, who currently run the facilities.

A petition on change.org, addressed to the museum’s chair of trustees António Horta-Osório, calls the proposals “short-sighted and ill thought out”. It has been signed by more than 9,000 people.

The campaign was launched by “a group of archive professionals and trade unionists working with the Wallace Collection staff and the Public and Commercial Services trade union to try and prevent this closure”.

They say supporting the petition “will not just protect the jobs of long-serving and dedicated staff during a time of great uncertainty – it will also protect access to the Wallace Collection’s rich archive and library for future generations”.

The Wallace Collection’s library contains about 30,000 books and periodicals relating to the museum collection – some of which are not held by other art history libraries. The archive includes the papers of the Wallace Collection’s founders and other records.

The facilities are currently closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Previously, they were used by professional researchers as well as students, members of the public and tour guides for the museum.

In 2018 the museum ran a crowdfunding campaign that raised £7,000 from the public to repair, conserve and rebind 70 rare books in its library.

According to the petition, Wallace Collection director Xavier Bray “wants to orientate the museum to income generation – and does not view the library and archive as part of this”.

It says that “management have suggested digitisation will be a work-around”.

The petition’s authors say the museum has not adequately responded to its queries about the plans. These include questions about archives that were donated on the condition that they were publicly available, and on how curatorial staff would manage book and archive collections.

According to the petition, the consultation will run until 11 February. If the plans went ahead, staff would then be given three months’ notice before the service was closed.

The Society for the History of Collecting says it is “profoundly disturbed” by the threat to the library and archive. A statement says: “While there is always a need to find funding, and we are aware of the challenges the museum faces today, this would be a short-term solution, with huge implications for the future.”

A spokesperson for the Wallace Collection said: “The Wallace Collection is currently in an internal consultation about some proposed changes to the library and archive which would potentially impact two members of staff. Further details will be released if the proposal goes ahead following consultation.”

The Wallace Collection is a national museum that receives direct funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Its collection includes old master paintings, furniture, decorative arts and arms and armour.