British Library North could be set for Leeds

Plans are forming to open a branch of the British Library in Leeds to expand the organisation’s activities in the north of England, according to reports.

The Guardian has this morning published a story after obtaining board meeting minutes which it said revealed the library had been in discussions with Leeds City Council about potential locations for a facility named British Library North.

The British Library has published six years of minutes from its quarterly board minutes online under a Freedom of Information publication scheme, but has not updated this since September 2017.

“Discussions subsequently took place between Riordan and Sir John Ritblat, a British Library board member and major donor to the institution, alongside other members of the executive team, regarding potential locations for a new outpost.

“The proposals are being considered in parallel with a planned upgrade and expansion of the British Library’s reading rooms at Boston Spa in Leeds. In May last year the board agreed to use £250,000 from the library’s reserves to fund work on the Boston Spa Renewed project.

“In November, the board agreed five strategic priorities up to 2023, which include “securing capital investment in Boston Spa Renewed and working with Leeds city council and other partners to develop plans and deliver the initial components of British Library North”.”

A spokesman for the British Library told The Guardian: “One of our strategic priorities is to substantially improve and expand our long-standing presence in Yorkshire. This is part of our wider role as a national library for the UK.

“The primary focus of our British Library North programme is to invest in the estate on our existing site at Boston Spa, near Wetherby, to expand archival-standard storage facilities for the collections under our custodianship, and to refurbish the staff areas, much of which is outdated.

“Alongside this, we will work with local partners, including Leeds city council, to deliver expanded culture and learning programming in the run up to the Leeds 2023 cultural festival – starting with this year’s Leeds digital festival. 2023 is our 50th anniversary so this will be an important milestone year for the library.

“We will also be exploring subsequent opportunities to embed our presence in the city after 2023, and we look forward to further discussions with partners in the coming months.”

Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds city council, added: “Leeds has ambitious plans for making the most of our cultural strengths as we work with partners towards 2023. We are delighted to have a strong relationship with the British Library, with their presence playing an important part in the Leeds cultural, digital and economic landscape, and we look forward to working with them in the years ahead, as one of a wide range of organisations who see the opportunities available here, from Channel 4 to Burberry.

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