SIR - I am writing on behalf of FOBALS, Friends of Bradford Archives & Local Studies; as well as BFHS, Bradford Family History Society.
In June the T&A reported on the sale of Margaret McMillan Tower by Bradford Council. At that time nothing was mentioned about Bradford Archives or Bradford Local Studies Library, that both reside on the ground floor and have extensive storage areas in the basement of the office block.
Since then, FOBALS have been asking what will happen to both the Archives and Local Studies. We invited the then council project manager for the re-locations to our July meeting, which he declined.
There were two main reasons we wanted to be involved in the relocation:
* To ensure Bradford has an Archives and Local Studies Library going forward.
* To offer help from our members in any way we can e.g. packing for the moves.
It is now November and Bradford Council have not reported on the temporary closure and re-location of the Archives or Local Studies to the public. The Archives have closed its doors while they get packed and ready for a move and we are expecting the same to happen at Local Studies at some point. But when and where they will move to remains a mystery.
So far as FOBALS is aware, come 2025, Bradford’s City of Culture year, the Margaret McMillan Tower will no longer be owned by Bradford Council and will no longer be able to house Bradford Archives and the Local Studies Library. Where will they be located?
Over the last 150 years Bradford Libraries has acquired a rich and extensive collection of materials relating to Bradford and the surrounding area. This forms a unique resource for research into past and present-day topics.
People come from far and wide to Bradford to study these collections, or contact staff with their queries. It is essential that we know the future location of these services so that staff have adequate time to prepare to move these extensive resources.
We therefore call on Bradford Council to answer our questions and make public the plans for Bradford Archives and Local Studies Library.
Sue Steel, Secretary FOBALS and Chairman BFHS
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