Aberdeenshire Council sees 1.3m items borrowed over nine months last year
Libraries stamp their presence as they retain appeal
Published:
For some, the mention of libraries conjures up distant childhood memories of dusty books stacked on towering shelves and purse-lipped women peering over their spectacles while issuing a late return fine.
But it seems the day of borrowing books is far from gone.
New figures released by Aberdeenshire Council show 1.3million items were borrowed from libraries across the area over nine months last year. The authority operates 36 libraries and six mobile library services across the area which lend out books, videos, CDs and DVDs.
The best-used libraries between April and December last year were in Garioch, with 212,00 items issued, followed by Marr where more than 193,000 were loaned in the same period.
That was followed by Formartine with 183,000, Banff and Buchan 179,000 and Kincardine and Mearns 163,000.
The area where the least number of items were borrowed was Buchan, where 145,000 were taken out.
In addition there were 120,000 items loaned from mobile libraries and 120,000 centrally issued for use in schools and services such as care accommodation.
Westhill and district councillor Ron McKail said he was pleased Garioch had come out tops, but insisted facilities in the area could be improved.
He said: “It’s really excellent that we’ve got a population that wants to use the library. I’m certainly very pleased there’s a positive result for Garioch. But we just hope that in Westhill we will finish up with a better one.”
Mr McKail said the location of the library and its reduced opening hours was not up to scratch when compared to the “tremendous” facilities at Kintore and Oldmeldrum.
Anne Allan, councillor for Peterhead North and Rattray in the Buchan area, said she could “shed no light” on the reasons for less borrowing in her ward.
“I go to Peterhead library quite a lot and it’s usually fairly busy. But perhaps people here buy their books,” she said.
Mrs Allan said she hoped the use of the library would be boosted when the Peterhead family history society was set up soon. It will be based in the museum, but she said it would use various resources from the library.
“When we get people coming in making inquiries we can point them in the right direction,” she said.
Richard Stroud, convener of the authority’s education, learning and leisure education committee, said the figures were very encouraging.
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “We are currently reviewing options for a new library in Westhill, with details finalised, we hope, for the next financial year in 2009-10.”
