Library of Birmingham cuts opening hours from 73 to 40 a week

The Library of Birmingham has cut its opening hours, less than two years after it opened as the largest public library in the country, because of the city council's budget cuts.

From 20 April, the library is open from 11am to 7pm on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 11am to 5pm from Wednesday to Saturday, and closed on Sundays, reducing its weekly opening hours from 73 to 40.

Budget pressures

The city council, which is having to make huge savings as government funding falls, has said it can no longer afford to keep the library open for as long as before. Jobs have also been lost as part of the changes.

The cuts have been criticised by library users, campaigners and authors, who say that a building designed to be open to everyone is now shut for much of the week, including on Sundays, when many families and students used it.

A flagship building

The library, on Centenary Square, was opened on 3 September 2013 by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban and now lives in Birmingham. "Let us not forget that even one book, one pen, one teacher can change the world," she said at the opening.

The building, designed by the Dutch architects Mecanoo, cost an estimated £188.8 million. With its distinctive facade of interlocking metal rings, it has been described as the largest public library in the UK, the largest public cultural space in Europe and the largest regional library in Europe.

A popular attraction

The library has been a huge success with visitors. It welcomed 2.7 million people in its first year, and 2,414,860 visitors came in 2014, making it the tenth most popular visitor attraction in the UK.

It has also won praise from architects. Last year it was named the region's building of the year at the RIBA awards and was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize, the most prestigious award for architecture in Britain.

The cost of success

But the cost of running such a large building has become a problem for a council that has had to cut hundreds of millions of pounds from its budget since 2010. The library's running costs, and the debt taken on to build it, have become a focus for critics who argue that the city spent too much on a single flagship building.

Supporters of the library argue that it is exactly the kind of civic investment the city should be proud of, and that cutting its hours reduces the value of that investment.

What next

The council says it is looking at ways to bring in more money, including partnerships with businesses and other organisations, and renting out space in the building. It has not ruled out further changes to library services across the city as the budget cuts continue.

For now, visitors planning a trip to the library are being advised to check the new opening times before they travel.