The John Rylands Library is in crisis. Is Christopher Pressler to blame?

In 2018, the John Rylands Library welcomed a new leader, whose arrival was said to herald an exciting new chapter for the city. Christopher Pressler, 46, was described as “an exceptional appointment for Manchester” by university registrar Patrick Hackett, who said that one of his key strengths was “leading innovation in the way in which students, researchers and the public access knowledge”.

Pressler himself described the job as “an immense privilege” and praised the library’s “dedicated staff,” saying: “I am looking forward to leading one of the acknowledged great libraries of the world in one of the world's most important and dynamic universities.” His role was to manage an illustrious library with a worldwide reputation for holding some of the rarest manuscripts, papyrus and letters in the world, as well as managing the University of Manchester’s main library buildings. Pressler was expected to be a modernising influence, believing in the importance of acquiring pieces of 20th century pop culture as well as building on the library’s legacy of classical collections.

The John Rylands is the striking gothic building on Deansgate. It's filled with rare leather-bound books on beautiful wooden shelving that stretches across entire walls; with collections that include 15th century Persian manuscripts and the oldest copy of part of the New Testament known anywhere in the world. It was built in 1890 by Enriqueta Rylands and named in honour of her late husband, the Victorian industrialist John Rylands. Since 1972, it has been part of the University of Manchester.

Within six years of his appointment, the relationship between Pressler and library staff had fallen apart. In October last year, seventeen staff members signed a formal grievance against him, accusing him of “bullying, favouritism, and disregard for colleagues’ expertise”. In a joint statement, the staff members said they needed to see “demonstrable changes in behaviours” to restore peace and harmony at the library, which had been tainted by “a culture of fear and anxiety” where hiring decisions “have predominantly benefitted white men”. 

The story soon drew attention from the national press. A statement from the university in The Times, who originally broke the news of the complaint, confirms there was a formal grievance but adds that after an independent investigator was appointed, the claims were “thoroughly investigated” and the grievance was not upheld. In its latest statement, the university told us: “We are clear that Professor Pressler is fully qualified to lead our Library, as is his senior team”. The university was also concerned about some aspects of our reporting.  They asked us not to use a quote by an aggrieved staff member claiming that Pressler’s hiring decisions have benefitted younger men, as it was “potentially homophobic”.

That aggrieved staff member is among half a dozen others who, in the last few weeks, have reached out to The Mill to offer their explanations for why morale at the John Rylands has collapsed. The problem, according to most people I spoke to, is their library director. “I don’t feel library staff feel at all supported by Chris Pressler,” one staff member says. “It was a good place and people were proud of what they did and worked with each other really well. There’s not any of that now, people feel really stressed,” says another.

Throughout our reporting, we only came across one staff member who was willing to put in a defence of Pressler. “The collections at the Rylands rival those of any library in the UK — and indeed, internationally — yet how many people in Manchester are aware of this?” they wrote via WhatsApp. The staff member argues that under Pressler’s leadership, the Rylands has been “increasingly opened to both the local community” in a way it never has previously. Moreover, this staff member claims that the complaining staff only represent a minority viewpoint. “I suspect most of us in the Library’s more than 300 staff regard him as an inspiring and kind leader who has only the very best planned for us and the collections.”

The Mill was unable to speak to Pressler, and he has not responded to any of the questions we put to him in an email. In a recent all-staff meeting, recorded and published on YouTube, he told his employees that this recent period “has not been easy” and referred to him and his colleagues facing “challenges to our vision and even our values”.

What once appeared on the surface like a story of a mini staff revolt at one of Manchester’s most illustrious institutions has now become a complex saga of claims and counterclaims. But from another angle, this is the story of how longstanding institutions can descend into chaos because of human flaws and personal resentments. “I have heard what other people cite as evidence and I just don’t see it,” says a staff member keen to defend Pressler, saying the atmosphere at work now feels “depressed”. “This has gone on long enough.”