More than 50 people young and old packed into an Aberdeen library today to protest against its closure.
Campaigners fighting to save Ferryhill Library – one of six due to shut in a cost-cutting move – held a “read in” to demonstrate how well used it is by the community.
The library, which was refurbished as recently as 2020, is used by readers of all ages and also doubles as a warm space.
One of the demonstration organisers, along with Melissa Fowler, Karen Barrett-Ayres said “time is of the essence” to get councillors to rethink the closure, due to happen on March 31.
She said: “I just feel that libraries are vitally important for the community. They’re not just about books, they’re used for a wide range of things and they’re critically important.
“It’s been said that reading for pleasure is the single most important factor in being able to get people out of poverty, so for social mobility I think it’s very important.”
Poorest in city will ‘suffer worse’
The other five libraries due to close, to save the council £280,0000, are Cornhill, Cults, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside.
Muriel McDougall, who worked as a library at Ferryhill more than 50 years ago, attended the protest.
Describing the council’s decision as “disgraceful”, she said: “It’s always been well used. There’s always people on the computers and they have a babies group, a toddlers group, a reading group and groups that come and meet here.
“And with the rise in fuel costs, the council said that the libraries would be places where people could come, keep warm, meet other people and not use their electric and gas by having to heat their houses all day and they’re closing them.
“The people who are going to suffer worse are people who live in the poorer parts of the city.”
Corran Musk, who comes to the library with his son said he was “annoyed” by the plans to close it and urged the council to “please reconsider”.
“I think one of the one of the biggest problems would be the next nearest library would be the Central Library. It’s harder to get there and this is a walk home from school, we just wouldn’t have as much access as we do,” he said.
Council urged to ‘think again’
Describing libraries as an “essential service”, local Labour councillor Simon Watson urged the council to “think again” and spend some of the £4million that is sitting reserves to save them.
He said: “This isn’t something which can be closed and then walked away from, these are things which people grow up with and their lives and wellbeing depends on having these.”
After the closures were announced, north-east crime writer Stuart MacBride warned the move would “impoverish six big chunks of Aberdeen”.
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