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MESSAGE FOR BRITISH LIBRARY READERS 
 
RE-OPENING OF READING ROOMS AT ST PANCRAS FROM MONDAY 29 MARCH 
 
We are pleased to announce that the industrial action by the Public 
and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has now ended, and agreement has 
been reached on how the issues at the centre of the dispute will be 
resolved.  The library assistants have undertaken that there will no 
further strike action on this issue this year.  We apologise once 
again for  the disruption to your work over the past three weeks but 
can now begin to restore the full service from Monday (29th March). 
 
Over the next four weeks we will move towards full resumption of 
humanities services, and the introduction of the Science Technology and 
Business interim services at St Pancras, in a phased sequence. This 
will ensure that readers can be confident that reading rooms will be 
open as announced below. 
 
For the week of 29 March - 3 April reading rooms will open as follows: 
HUMANITIES  AND RARE BOOKS AND MUSIC READING ROOMS 
Monday 29 March                                 0930 - 1700 
Tuesday 30 March                                0930 - 2000 
Wednesday 31 March                              0930 - 2000 
Thursday 1 April                                0930 - 1700 
Friday 2 April - Monday 5 April                 Closed for Easter 
 
MANUSCRIPTS, MAPS AND ORIENTAL READING ROOMS 
Monday 29 March - Thursday 1 April              0930 - 1700 
 
>From Tuesday 6 April full service for humanities materials will be 
restored: 
 
HUMANITIES, RARE BOOKS AND MUSIC READING ROOMS 
Tuesday 6 & Wednesday 7 April                   0930 - 2000 
Thursday 8 April                                0930 - 1800 
Friday 9 & Saturday 10 April                    0930 - 1700 
 
MANUSCRIPTS, MAPS AND ORIENTAL READING ROOMS 
Tuesday 6 - Saturday 10 April                   0930 - 1700 
 
>From Thursday 8 April the next stage of the SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND 
BUSINESS services in the new St Pancras reading rooms will be 
available.  Full opening of all the Science, Technology and Business 
reading rooms will be in June this year when all the collections have 
transferred to St Pancras.  The interim service during the period of 
the moves will begin as follows: 
 
>From Thursday 8 April, SOCIAL POLICY & INFORMATION SERVICE, by 
appointment only between 0930 and 1700, Monday - Friday.  Appointments 
can be made from Wednesday 31 March by telephoning 0171 412 7536 
 
>From Wednesday 14 April,  BUSINESS  and SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
SERVICES , by appointment only between 0930 and  1700, Monday - 
Friday.  Appointments can be made from Thursday 8 April. 
For BUSINESS, telephone 0171 412 7454/7977 
 
For SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, telephone 0171 412 7288/7494/7496 
The PATENTS SERVICE will remain open in Southampton Buildings until 16 
April, and until 7 May in Chancery House.  The PATENT EXPRESS service 
for the provision of copies will continue throughout the period of the 
moves. 
 
The Reader Admissions Office will be open as normal for the issues of 
passes and advice on admissions procedures for all reading rooms. 
 
Throughout this period the exhibition galleries, events and education 
programmes, the bookshop, cafe and restaurant will be open to readers 
and to the public. 
 
For further information please telephone 0171 412 7676. 
 
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