The city council's website includes an announcement about the redevelopment of the building, from summer 2010, for two years. This will obviously disrupt their services, and news is awaited about alternative arrangements for storage of and access to documents [if any!].
More will be added here as other GWF members are making enquiries about the details, and looking at the consultation process.
<http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries/central_redevelopment/index.asp>
[Mods - please move this to another section if this is not appropriate]
Daggers

It's great that they are updating the facilities but the decision on which books/documents to store means, inevitably, that someone will always be upset with the choice.

Our library (Harrogate) is currently half way through a redevelopment, unfortunately most of the books/documents put into storage are of the local studies nature which has affected my research. Oh well, these things happen for a reason At least we shall have toilet facilities in the building once it's done instead of having to run a 1/4 mile to the nearest convenience!

................... might even get a fig roll with my cup of coffee whilst slavering over the newspaper archives

I suppose the flip side is that the new regimental museum in Liverpool is supposed to be opening in 2010 !?

Liverpool has so much info stored there. I use the Library many times and they do a great job, but it really does need an makeover and upgrade. Ok it will take time, but it will be a benefit in the long run. I do hope they can make some things available during the refit.

Julian

Now back to early 2011, I understand.

Ian

Reading between the lines, it would appear that arrangements will be made for the most used material to be available elsewhere, locations not known, and some less used material to be on limited availability (restricted times) through prior arrangement. This is all at a very early stage, planning permission will not be sorted until the end of the month and they are in the very early and tentative stages of planning the draw down. It is likely that there will be no availability during a few months immediately following closure in the summer.

There is a public consultation next month so people need to state their case about the records that they want kept available.

I just hope the project does not get stranded half-way through on the reefs of public spending cuts likely to appear next year (I assume that this comment is apolitical as the consensus seems to be that there will be cuts).

Ian