Where has the stock gone? What safeguards are in place for careful handling? What security for archives and treasures?

We are very sorry that we cannot make all our stock accessible during the closure period, but with more than 22 miles of shelving to accommodate, relocating to a similar-sized building was not an option: there was no suitable building available and costs would have been prohibitive in any case.
Book collections that were housed in City Library have gone into storage for the duration of the closure.  These will not be available until Central Library re-opens in 2013.
While Central Library is closed, over a million card-indexed items will be added to our computer catalogue - this will be the largest retrospective cataloguing job in the UK and will greatly improve future access to our collections when Central Library reopens.
Books in community libraries across the city are unaffected. If you are a member at Central Library, you'll be welcomed in every public library in the city and free to borrow books.
Pre-1850, and special/precious collections are to be stored 150 metres underground in a salt mine in Cheshire. The storage facility, DeepStore, has consistent temperature and humidity levels and is naturally free from the dangers of ultraviolet light, vermin or flooding. It is currently the size of 700 football pitches, but continues to grow as a million tonnes of salt is mined every year. The storage fully complies with BS5454:2000 standards, the recommended storage procedures to ensure the preservation of important artefacts.  The National Archives has over 25km of storage in DeepStore.
Our archives are now available to view by appointment at Greater Manchester County Record Office on Marshall Street. Some materials will be stored off-site and require two weeks' notice for access.  Non-original (digitised and microfilm) sources will be available from the temporary City Library.