The British Library's St Pancras building in Central London has opened to the public today despite strike action taken by workers over a pay offer branded "unacceptable".

All the public areas in the building, including the galleries, bookshop, cafes and piazza, have opened as normal, but the walkout has forced the closure of the reading rooms.

The Newspaper Library at Colindale in North London has opened to readers who ordered material in advance, while the Library's document supply service at Boston Spa in Yorkshire has been unaffected.

"The British Library would like to apologise to readers and all our users for any disruption caused by today's industrial action," said a spokesman.

"We are disappointed that the strike action has gone ahead."

The strike has closed library reading rooms

The strike was called after the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union rejected a pay offer for its members.

PCS members accepted a pay rise of 3.6% in August 2001 on the basis that a further increase in salary would follow.

However, the union said the current offer of 0.4% - giving an overall pay increase of 4% - is unacceptable to its members.

The library insisted the pay offer has already been accepted by two of the three unions that represent staff at the Library.

The turnout today will show the management that they have to respond to us with a decent pay offer

Terry Adams, PCS

The library's lowest paid workers earn as little as £12,000, despite a recent report from an independent advisory panel which suggested that workers in London should be paid up to a third more than those working elsewhere.

Library assistants who belong to the PCS will strike for a further two days on 30 and 31 July.

Library bosses are insisting that their lowest-paid staff will receive a 5.6% pay rise and the 4% rise is just the average across all the staff.

They added that the offer is double the current rate of inflation and higher than average for the cultural sector.

According to PCS National Officer Terry Adams, there has been strong support for the strike from union members.

'Solid'

Speaking from the picket line in Central London, he told BBC News Online: "This year's annual reports show that the Chief Executive of the British Library received a 30% pay increase.

"Yet many of our members are unable to live on the wages they earn.

"The turnout today has been solid, and it will show the management that they have to respond to us with a decent pay offer."

The strike action was voted for by 324 members of the union, with 248 voting against.