Scottish Government fund the reopening of Glasgow’s closed libraries

Libraries at Maryhill, Whiteinch, the Couper Institute, Barmulloch and the GoMA have been awarded money from a £1.25m relief fund.

They will receive support to reopen while other city libraries will get help to increase opening hours.

Campaigners have been fighting for the future of the five libraries since the Covid-19 pandemic forced operators Glasgow Life, which runs cultural venues on behalf of the council, to shut the doors last year.

Cllr David McDonald, the chair of Glasgow Life, said: “For the first time since the start of the pandemic this funding will ensure that 100% of Glasgow’s libraries will be able to reopen.

“I recognise that the extended temporary closure of some libraries due to the financial impact of the pandemic has caused worry in communities but today’s announcement sees the fulfilment of our promise to communities to reopen all of Glasgow’s library services.

“I’m grateful to the staff team at Glasgow Life for developing a strong bid and to colleagues at the Scottish Government and the Scottish Library and Information Council for recognising the vital importance of Glasgow’s local libraries.”

At a full council meeting last month, Cllr McDonald said four of the five libraries would open in January if the funding bid was successful.

He said Whiteinch, Maryhill, the GoMA and the Couper Institute would reopen in early January, but Barmulloch is being used as a vaccination centre until at least the end of January 2022.

Applications to the fund were made through the Scottish Library and Information Council, and the Scottish Government has now announced Glasgow will get £448,068.

Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “These funding allocations will support public libraries across Scotland. Libraries that closed because of the pandemic will re-open and others will be able to widen the services that they offer their local communities.

“Libraries are so much more than a place to borrow books. This fund will see the provision of community-centred projects aimed at, among other things, reducing social isolation, promoting mental well-being and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap.

“This funding is part of the government’s wider aspiration to drive a cultural recovery for our communities. I look forward to seeing how libraries use this support to benefit their local area and to work with the library sector on our future recovery plans.”

There is also almost £23,000 for a targeted home library service in Glasgow, operating from six libraries, which will work with referral partners, including GPs and the city’s Health and Social Care Partnership.

And £9,088 has been announced for an early years literacy project, working with 40 families from a “literacy hotspot” in Glasgow’s East End, where “49% of children live in poverty”.

Scottish Library and Information Council chairman Ian Ruthven said: “Public libraries are an essential part of Scotland’s social fabric, supporting and inspiring people to fulfil their potential for over 150 years.

“Improving mental well-being, tackling social isolation and closing the digital divide are some of the key aims of public libraries. The Public Library Covid relief fund will allow local public libraries to reconnect with their communities and offer these much-valued services.”