The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth has been handed a cash boost to carry out essential repair work to keep Wales’ collection safe, while funding has also been set aside to develop the National Museum’s site at Llanberis.
The Library will benefit from a £3.2m fund earmarked for this financial year by the Welsh Government.
Work will also be carried out at the National Museum in Cardiff. Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice, Lesley Griffiths, has said the Welsh Government has listened to concerns regarding the intense financial pressures on all cultural institutions – at a national and local level - and acted to mitigate these difficulties.
The Cabinet Secretary also confirmed £500,000 to help improve storage facilities and protect important collections at local and independent museums and archives which tell the stories of communities across Wales.
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Funding will also continue to be invested in the redevelopment of Amgueddfa Cymru’s Llanberis site, which will create opportunities for greater and improved access in North Wales to the national collection.
The Welsh Government said it is “working closely with Amgueddfa Cymru and the National Library of Wales to develop plans to address the wider maintenance issues at the National Museum in Cardiff and the Library’s building in Aberystwyth over the coming years.”
Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice, Lesley Griffiths said: “Our museums, archives and galleries are vital parts of cultural life in Wales and today’s announcement will help protect them and their collections for the benefit of people across Wales, now and in the future.
“We have had to make some difficult decisions and choices, but we have listened and the priority at this time must be helping to safeguard our cultural institutions be they large or small, national or local.
“The investment we’re continuing to make and our consultation on draft priorities for culture over the next six years show the importance this Welsh Government places on culture.”
National Library of Wales Chief Executive, Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, said: “We very much welcome this new investment by the Welsh Government which will go towards essential renovations to the National Library building in Aberystwyth.
“The national collection that is kept here is a treasure that belongs to the nation and the funding will enable works that are much needed.
“Completing these works will mean that the collections are safe in the long-term and will ensure access to them for future generations.”