Christmas Day cheer at library
NIKI TENNANT
Rutherglen Library is opening its doors on Christmas Day to people who are homeless or are unable to spend the festive season with family and friends.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop visited Rutherglen Library on Thursday as staff prepared to open for a festive film screening to bring people together.
They are volunteering their time from 11am to 2pm for those who want to see a friendly face on December 25 – including people dealing with homelessness and social isolation.
Ahead of the Christmas opening, Ms Hyslop met 62-year-old Elaine Tait, who visits Rutherglen Library three times a day to use the WiFi or meet up with friends.
She revealed how the two days the library previously closed over the festive season felt like a “very long time”.
Fiona Hyslop said: “Rutherglen Library fulfils a need in the community, and this does not go away during the festive period.
“I commend staff who are willing to take time out of their holiday to make this Christmas a happy one for others.
“Libraries are at the heart of our communities, welcoming people in and serving a wider social purpose.
“The Scottish Government places great importance on them to empower, to tackle inequality, and to reduce isolation.
“The library is now seen as the community ‘living room’ of the modern town.”
Leader of South Lanarkshire Council, Councillor John Ross, said: “I have to pay tremendous credit to the staff, who give up their own time to ensure people are not isolated over the Christmas period.
“This will be the second time they have opened on Christmas Day, and I know last year more than 40 people visited.
“Everyone is welcome, you don’t need to let anyone know your reason for coming along other than to share a community experience with other people on a day which can be very lonely for some individuals.”
Digital and information services officer Iain Robertson had the idea of opening Rutherglen Library after reading an article in early 2018 about how Plymouth Library opened for a few hours on Christmas Day 2017.
He was particularly interested in learning that the library attracted a wider range of visitors than expected.
He raised the possibility of a South Lanarkshire library opening in 2018 at a management team meeting.
With support and encouragement from managers, they put out a call for volunteers to work on the day and were delighted when several staff offered their services, ensuring that the opening could go ahead.
It was promoted on social media, and probably most effectively, through staff in the library letting their customers know about it.
Word of mouth and local posters and leaflets helped to connect with people who may not have received information digitally.
The local community was hugely supportive, with many people donating presents of food and drink for the day.
Rutherglen Library is the second busiest library in South Lanarkshire, with 154,000 visitors in 2018/19.
It has an active IT learning centre with four Chromeboxes and ten computers with Office applications, and scanning facilities.
The library offers free internet and WiFi, and also has a Heritage Centre where local and family history can be researched.