Call to fix staffing problems at Glasgow library

Springburn Library is only open on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and has also experienced a string of sudden closures.

Glasgow Life, which runs the libraries, said there have been recruitment issues and staff absence.

Labour councillor Thomas Rannachan said teenagers from the Springburn Youth Forum have warned that exam pupils missed being able to access the internet at the library.

Since May 5 either the Springburn or nearby Barmulloch Library have been closed on a Saturday four times between them.

Commenting on how the library provides important internet access, Springburn, Robroyston Councillor Rannachan said: “Not every person has wi-fi at home and there is a stigma attached to that.

“I feel like Springburn is being unfairly disadvantaged. The Springburn Youth Forum highlighted the lack of opening times as a challenge for them during exam time. They want to log on and do research.”

He pointed out other residents need to access benefits online or update details – and the lack of library internet access is a problem.

Councillor Rannachan continued: “The library is well located and is a focal point in Springburn. It is well used by people of all ages. Not having it is depriving people of help they need to get their lives back to normal (following the pandemic). For some that is finding a job or accessing a benefit. There is a sense of frustration here.”

He added: “Springburn Library has the joint worst opening times in the city.”

A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: “We’re working hard to return all of Glasgow’s libraries to pre-pandemic opening hours as quickly as possible. We had hoped to achieve this by the end of June, but like many sectors we’re experiencing recruitment challenges. This has been impacted further in recent weeks as a result of staff absence, which has meant we’ve had to close some libraries temporarily at short notice, and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. We’re still recruiting and, while it’s taking slightly longer than we had anticipated, we expect to be able to return to pre-pandemic hours by the end of this month. We’ll share more updates on our social media channels in the coming weeks.”