Lend a hand to library users plea
The City of Edinburgh Council will open six libraries Central, Kirkliston, McDonald Road, Fountainbridge, Stockbridge this month.
But for councillors on the Culture and Communities Committee the timing was just not quick enough, and council officers were put on notice that they ‘must try harder’. Council officers said they were working hard to open Central Library more quickly than others, and since the meeting have announced that Central will open on 6 October. One officer said that they were trying to accelerate the opening of Central Library to send out the message that Edinburgh libraries are back in business.
Cllr Hal Osler, who raised the matter, said: “We are behind the curve on this. We are a capital city and it is embarrassing that our libraries are not yet open. Tthere are so many vulnerable residents who depend on libraries and my fear is that if more restrictions are introduced then it is unlikely the libraries will open at all this winter.
“We need proper information about this.”
Culture Convener, Cllr Donald Wilson, said: “We want all stops to be pulled out to open libraries in the city.”
Cllr Susan Webber said that the list of libraries to be reopened is not fair and inclusive. She said that a direction for residents in Ratho to go to the library in Kirkliston has been made by someone who does not know anything about travel between the two villages. Cllr Webber said: “We are behind every other local authority in the UK. We need to try harder.”
The council explained that the reopening of libraries is directed by Scottish Government guidance, and that each library has its own specific considerations. When libraries open again there will be limited access to browsing and lending, public access computers, support for national entitlement card applications, photocopying and printing services, collection of Hey Girls free sanitary protection and hearing aid batteries. There will be restrictions on the number of visitors allowed access to the library at any one time, and physical distancing will be in place as well as booking systems for some services."