Fresh chapter for Scotland’s libraries as they evolve in digital age
● Book borrowing falls, but position as a civic resource remains strong
The number of books borrowed from Scotland’s libraries fell by around 3.2 million in just three years, with the number of people who took home at least one item a year dropping by around 75,000 over the same period.
But for Pamela Tulloch, chief executive officer for Scottish Library Information Council (SLIC), the figures show only part of the picture, given that libraries are evolving to satisfy today’s digital habits while remaining the most popular civic resource in Scotland.
Crucially for Ms Tulloch, digital access to library services has vastly increased with 13.5 million “virtual visits” made in 2014-15 – up 3.7 million over three years.
Ms Tulloch said: “There is a whole lot of opportunity out there for libraries in Scotland. I don’t see the statistics as showing a huge barrier to people participating in what libraries can now offer. What we have seen is a change in the way people use libraries.
“Don’t forget we have got 28 million visitors coming through the door every year, That is a footfall that most commercial organisations would give their back teeth for.”
Major work continues to reorientate the “book warehouses” of old into creative, learning environments where digital access to information and services is fast and effective.
All of Scotland’s 600 or so public libraries are now fitted with wi-fi, with the Scottish Government freeing up an extra £1.4 million of funding following the publication of Scotland’s first national strategy last June.
With the rapid growth in online library services, such as newspaper archives, encyclopedias and the hiring of e-books, librarians will also become “champions of freedom of information and free expression”, according to the national strategy and have a key role in making people are using technology effectively.
Meanwhile, it is anticipated more people will visit libraries over the next four years to take part in learning and creative programmes rather than to borrow materials.
SLIC recently signed an agreement with BBC Scotland, for example, to provide two learning programmes for young people. One will focus on digital skills and creativity while the other will promote books and literacy.
Macmillan Cancer Support and Citizens Advice Bureau have also been working with libraries in Scotland to ensure clear, unbiased information is available to the public, with librarians increasingly assisting in the “worklessness agenda” by assisting job seekers navigate employment searches and benefit changes.
Ms Tulloch said she believes changes happening now in Scotland’s libraries sit well with the principles of Dunfermline-born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who financed more than 3,000 public libraries in the UK and US.
She said: “Andrew Carnegie’s ethos was about self-improvement for the common man, and while we may not use those terms any more we have stuck very closely to him aims on health and wellbeing. Now, it is about providing that in a 21st century context.
“Libraries are there for everyone and I think very few people could travel through life without using one.”