TALLIN - After nearly 14 years in the Baltics, the British Council has announced it will close its libraries and offices in the region. In a statement from its London headquarters, the British Council said it would shift its resources away from Europe and refocus on developing Muslim countries.
In the Baltics, the changes mean the closure of the Council's well-resourced libraries and offices, which had experienced a decline in patronage in recent years. Other funded programs, such as Baltic tours by British musicians, will also cease.
Kadri Suni, spokeswoman for the Tallinn office, said the library's collection of Commonwealth literature and music would be donated to another institution.
"In Estonia and Lithuania, the libraries will close in one year's time. In Latvia, we will close much sooner, possibly in June," Suni told The Baltic Times.
"The decision was a little bit sudden for us. We haven't decided which organization to donate our collection to.
The British Council, the UK government-funded body set up in the 1930s to promote the English language and culture, will now redeploy its resources to Central Asia and the Middle East.
