Our plans are progressing well for Phase One of the Building Connections project, which is the repurposing of old offices into a new room on the ground floor and the creation of a basement kitchen. We are now coming to the end of our tender process to select a building contractor and remain on track for the Phase One building works to commence towards the end of July and complete by the end of December. We will allow January for final fit-out and hope to begin making proper use of the room from February/March onwards. The commencement of the works in late July enables us to take advantage of the quieter period in the Library over summer and keep any inconvenience to a minimum, which remains a priority.

During the works, the area beyond the ground floor lift containing the printer, scanner, catalogue computers and guard books will be closed. Members will continue to have access to these services throughout the works as the equipment and books will be moved to new locations.

The front part of the basement (the area directly below the Issue Hall) will also be closed for the duration of the works. We shall be putting in place arrangements for Library staff to access the volumes in that area, so that members may still use the collection housed in that part of the building. The basement toilets will remain fully accessible.

We expect that the rest of the Library will remain unaffected by the Phase One building works.

Further details will be provided to members in our next newsletter and on our website when we will have appointed a contractor and have more specific information on our arrangements.

Our building improvements are intended to help us make our collection more accessible, support the needs of our growing membership, and ensure our long-term sustainability. We are funding the improvements entirely from donations, and the funds for Phase One have already been secured. If you would like to read more about the project, please visit the project website where you will also find detailed FAQs. If you have any further questions or comments, please get in touch with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..