Billy Connolly has never forgotten how libraries offered him a portal to a world which he didn’t know even existed.
Growing up in the 1950s, he was hooked the first time he walked into his local amenity and surveyed the copious books on the shelves and newspapers on a reading table.
As the Big Yin recalled: “When I was an unhappy little boy, going to the library changed my life. It may even have saved it. Amazing as it sounds, literature can do that for you.
Anger over library closure plans
“Books are your ticket to the whole world. They’re a free ticket to the entire earth. They’re an entry to conversations you wouldn’t be privy to otherwise.”
It was the catalyst for ambitions which paved his way to international stardom. But, as he subsequently acknowledged, it was also a pathway into a new community.
And that latter factor explains why anger has erupted across the north-east.
This is in response to proposals by Aberdeenshire and Moray councils to axe 20 libraries across their patches as part of a restructuring programme.
Local councillors in the Shire claimed they were kept completely in the dark about the cost-cutting measures which could see 13 facilities close within weeks – and which Live Life Aberdeenshire says have been driven by “low numbers of users over the years”.
Petition calling for a rethink
In Cruden Bay, more than 200 people have already signed a petition calling for a rethink and it states: “Our library is a place for parents to take babies and toddlers to play and pick out books, to begin a life of reading by being read to.
“It’s a place for kids to learn to read, to choose wonderful, exciting stories.”
Acclaimed author Shona MacLean can understand these sentiments. She herself was one of the beneficiaries of that library when she was starting her career.
And although she has enjoyed significant success with such novels as the prize-winning The Bookseller of Inverness, she still remembers how it was pivotal to her development.
It’s ‘another nail in the coffin’
Mrs MacLean said: “My first thought was what about the parents of young children? When I was a young mum in Aberdeen, taking my young children to the library (Ferryhill) was a highlight of the week.
“They loved choosing their books which would be read again and again, it was free, and we could walk there. Closing local libraries always seems to me like another nail in the coffin of community, and another hit on the lonely and the less well-off.
“When we later moved to Banff, I would again take my younger children to the library in the same way, and they would make a beeline for the children’s book section.
“The librarians made the most of what was then a small and awkward space and somehow managed to conjure story-times that the children loved.
Libraries are vital parts of the community
“When I saw the closure list [of Aberdeenshire libraries], I specifically checked, hoping that Banff wasn’t on it.
“It isn’t, but I wonder how parents of young children, the disabled and the elderly will manage without all the things their local libraries offer them. It is very sad.”
Councils have claimed they are facing unprecedented pressures and have tried to reassure residents by offering alternative services such as “click and collect”.
Yet, for best-selling author Neil Lancaster, libraries are not only about books, but are community lighthouses, enhancing the towns and villages where they are based.
Libraries played a big part in author’s life
The writer, who lives in the Black Isle, said: “Libraries, in one form or another, have always played a part in my life, either as a user, parent or contributor.
“As a kid growing up on a council estate the library was a refuge. You could escape the long winters, and sit, surrounded by books, magazines, and games and while away the hours surrounded by the magic of stories.
“There wasn’t a lot of money growing up, and as a kid, who loved to read, the library was a vital resource where I could take myself from my daily life.
“I could have adventures in Iceland with Desmond Bagley, go to Corfu with Gerald Durrell, or visit wartime Yorkshire with James Herriot. The love of books as a reader, led directly to me becoming a writer.
Call to protect libraries
“Since forever, libraries have sat at the heart of communities, with literary events, talks with authors, children’s groups, Lego clubs, song time, toddlers’ groups and similar organisations, all of whom exist because of libraries.
“So we must do what we can to protect libraries. Once they are gone, they are gone forever, and we will all be a little poorer for it.”
Politicians from different parties were reluctant to comment publicly on the overall picture in the north east, but the SNP criticised the Tories in Moray and Alison Evison, co-leader of the Democratic and Independent Group, said Inverbervie residents were “shocked and angered” at the “sudden” announcement.
Yet, in the recent past, almost every faction has been involved in shutting libraries or sports facilities, such as swimming polls and leisure centres.
Shetland author champions libraries
The importance of libraries to so many people can’t be overstated. Let’s leave the final word to Shetland author Ann Cleeves, who has championed them all her life.
As she said: “Without libraries, I wouldn’t be a writer. There would be no Vera or Shetland on our screens, selling all over the world and bringing money and tourists into our country. More importantly, I probably wouldn’t be a reader.”
It really is a short-sighted philosophy.
Conversation