What’s happening at the British Council in Mumbai? What’s changing?   

The British Council in Mumbai has acquired new office premises in Lower Parel – and when we move there at the beginning of 2010, we will change the way we operate. Just about all our services will be delivered off-site at venues throughout Mumbai, on-line and even direct to your doorstep!

Here’s a quick look at what’s in store:

Our Library Services: Our outstanding Collection, which has long been recognised as the best in town, will be reorganised into a brand new service called MyLibrary.   

MyLibrary will bring the British Council Library to your home!  Members will be invited to browse through our unique catalogue of books and DVDs on-line, and place an order.  We will deliver the selection to their home (or office), and when they’re done, we’ll pick it up again … and deliver their next selection!   No late fees, 24/7 access, no hassles.

MyLibrary members will also have exclusive access to an outstanding reference and research collection of over 40000 e-books, which can be studied on-line at no extra cost, and a host of other on-line goodies.

MyLibrary will open up the British Council Library to the whole city – making its unique opportunities for professional development and personal growth available to everyone. Once MyLibrary is up and running, the walk-in library service at Nariman Point will cease.  

All our current library members will be able to transfer to MyLibrary through special introductory offers at no additional cost.
http://www.mylibrary.britishcouncil.org/

Examinations: We are building on our popular on-line registration for IELTS exams, by offering an exclusive on-line training resource - Road to IELTS. This valuable preparatory course will be available free-of-cost to all candidates registering for the IELTS exam through the British Council.

We are also starting a complimentary courier pick-up of exam application forms of candidates from their residence or office.

Education UK: We are further enhancing the information support for people who want to study in the UK through:

•Improved Study in the UK information at our all new EducationUK website

•Web-chats with  trained staff and UK institutions

•Virtual exhibitions – where you can talk directly to representatives of UK universities and colleges from the convenience of your homes on-line!

Events and Activities: We are also revamping our programme of events that create space for India-UK dialogue and collaboration in the arts, the sciences and all things educational and cultural.  

Exhibitions, seminars, performances, lectures, screenings, workshops and debates will be staged with partners at venues throughout the city.  

What is the reason for this change?   

Currently we require people to come to our Centre at Nariman Point to access most of our services and that makes those services inaccessible to the large majority of the city. In contemporary Mumbai, where people are pressed for time and have so much to choose from, travelling to Nariman Point to access the British Council’s services is just too demanding - especially if you don’t live in South Mumbai.  So to address this challenge, we are changing the way we deliver our programmes and services to match the changing lifestyle of contemporary Mumbai and reach out to a lot more people throughout the city.

What are the new initiatives of the British Council that I can access online?   

Along with the new Mylibrary service, we will be enhancing the on-line services of other programmes such as Education UK, examinations and information about events and activities.  There is more to come!   

Is the library moving to some new location?   

To a bigger, limitless space on the web! Through MyLibrary, members now have complete access to our library collection from the comfort of their homes or offices.  No more travel challenges!   

As a Library member, what can I look forward to?    

We are pleased to offer all our current Members special offers to transfer them to the new MyLibrary service at no additional cost. MyLibrary makes the library much more accessible and easy to operate. As a Member, you will also have exclusive access to an outstanding reference and research collection of over 40000 e-books and a host of other on-line goodies. We will be in touch with you about details.   

When will MyLibrary be launched?   

In January 2010.

Why is the British Council moving office?   

We are moving to a flexible contemporary office located in a prime business district, which will enable us to be in close proximity to our corporate business partners and place us at the heart of the city enabling us to reach out to our customers throughout the city.    

Tell us a little about the new British Council office?  How does it reflect your changed business?   

The new office will be an efficient base for the approach to our business operations.  It has been designed to the highest green energy and environmental standards possible and will provide an efficient working environment for our staff.  Since our new business approach aims to bring our programmes and services to a place near you and not vice versa, it is not designed to be a traditional cultural centre such as we have at Nariman Point.    

How will I access information on UK education and examinations?   

You can access our services through our website, email updates and through events across the city. We will keep you posted about details of these will be communicated soon.   

The British Council has always been known for its commitment to the arts and literature. Does that change?   

Not at all! Our work in the arts and in literature has been getting more exciting. Our support to writing and writers continues through a rich and varied programme.  We will continue to work in close collaboration with authors, publishers and other partners in India. A recent example of this was the India market focus at the London Book Fair in April – which we are following up with an extensive programme in both countries called India through Fresh Eyes.

We are also refreshing our programme in the Arts, with a new focus on India-UK collaboration in the arts, such as the outstanding collaboration between Amjad Ali Khan and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra which toured India earlier this year and also the Soundpad project that saw upcoming Indian bands getting the chance to make a CD with an experienced UK producer and then touring in both countries to promote it!

There are a lot more exciting collaborative arts projects in the pipeline.

So events like book launches etc. will continue to happen?    

Yes! Our work in Literature and books and our support to writing and writers continues through a rich and varied programme. We have and will continue to work in close collaboration with authors, publishers and other partners in India and the UK – and this will include book launches and other events staged at venues across the city.  We already have a few literature events coming up in Mumbai over the next few months   

Can I continue to participate in events and activities hosted by the British Council?   

Absolutely! In fact, there will be an increase in events! We will reinvest our resources into doing more in Mumbai. Exhibitions, seminars, performances, lectures, screenings, workshops and debates will be hosted with partners at venues throughout the city.   

Where will these events be held?   

Across the city! Working together with partners, we will be staging our events at venues right across the city – and so make them more accessible to a much wider audience.     

Why can’t the British Council continue its walk- in library service along with the online MyLibrary service?   

There is clear evidence of declining demand for the traditional walk-in library service that we currently offer. For most customers, finding the time to travel to Nariman Point in order to borrow a book or DVD has become just too difficult.  That is why we are introducing MyLibrary – our new on-line order / home delivery library service.  Once the new service is ready to start, we will have to stop the walk-in service, so that we can recycle the staff and resources into MyLibrary.   

How will I be able to get in touch with the British Council after the office moves from Nariman Point?    

We will be in touch with you with details of our new contact information. In the meanwhile you can continue access our services online, particularly in education, examinations services and events and activities.    

Who should I contact if I want to get more information on the change or provide feedback?    

You can get in touch with us on Mumbai.enquiry@in.britishcouncil.org. We are waiting to hear from you and will try and answer any questions you may have.