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British Library staff 'viewed web porn'
By Luke Leitch, Arts Reporter, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 10.12.02The British Library has suspended nine staff for allegedly using their work computers to access hardcore pornography on the internet, the Evening Standard can reveal.
The staff are based at the British Library's £511million St Pancras building as well as its newspaper library in Colindale and its document supply centre in Boston Spa, Yorkshire. They face a disciplinary hearing into the allegations, believed to be scheduled for next week.
A British Library spokesman confirmed: "A number of staff have been suspended. However, we cannot go into detail because of our requirement to maintain confidentiality while the library pursues further investigations into each individual case."
An employee at one of the library's facilities, who does not wish to be named, said: "They were suspended for accessing pornographic websites during work time."
It is not believed any of the material accessed on the employees' computers was of an illegal nature, and the library spokesman stressed: "There is no suggestion that any criminal activity is involved and this is an entirely internal library disciplinary-matter."
According to a source within the library, the suspended staff are all male. They work in different capacities across the library, in engineering, curatorial and managerial roles, according to the source.
He said other employees at the library were shocked by news of the suspensions. It is understood a regular check into internet usage of British Library workers' computers uncovered the online access of pornography, which, if proven, breaks job contract terms.
It is not known what punishments the British Library will impose if the employees are found guilty by the hearing. A source said the suspensions were surprising: "The British Library has the largest collection of 'porn' in the world, as it receives a copy of every book and magazine published.
"You would have thought that, with all that reading material available, they wouldn't have felt the need to go looking for it on the internet."
The British Library's infamous locked cabinets - classified as PC for Private Case - hold everything from early editions of Casanova to more modern erotica. But, like most modern workplaces, the library disapproves of staff using their internet connections to view pornography.
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