Chants of “save our libraries” could be heard from a crowd protesting outside Marischal College on Saturday afternoon.
More than 100 people gathered outside the council headquarters to make their voices heard as part of their ongoing efforts to save six of the city’s libraries.
Drumming from the Guarana Street Band helped create a lively atmosphere in the city centre and drew those passing by to the collective demonstration.
People of all ages turned out with homemade signs and banners which made their views about the closures very clear.
Organisers from the Save Aberdeen Libraries campaign group said they were there to speak directly to Aberdeen City Council, who last month announced the libraries would close their doors to save £280,000.
Karen Barrett-Ayres, from Ferryhill, said: “We organised this at lighting speed for high visibility and to hold Aberdeen City Council accountable. Hopefully, lots of people today will have signed the petitions to give the community a voice.
“Everybody that showed up today, from all walks of life – young, old, people with disabilities, those who love libraries – want to challenge the decision. It is important that their voices are heard.”
‘It takes a village’
The aim of the protest was to “make a noise” with speakers from all of the libraries – Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside – sharing why the resources are vital for their communities.
Rebecca Diansangu, from Save Aberdeen Libraries, welcomed the crowd and spoke of the importance of libraries for preventing isolation and creating learning opportunities while being accessible.
She read out a letter from a librarian who was concerned about her own role and the life of her 87-year-old mother who relies on library services.
A huge thank you to EVERYONE who came to the demo today, it may have been freezing cold, but to see the city come together was heartwarming. @AberdeenCC may have tried to keep us silent, but we will be back on Monday morning from 10 am. pic.twitter.com/gAC2aAySkG
— Save Aberdeen Libraries (@SaveAbdnLibs) March 25, 2023
Emily Utter, from Woodside, stood up in front of the crowd and stated “it takes a village and here we are.”
Afterwards, she said: “I have lived in Woodside for 10 years and I had to come along to stand up for the community.
“We don’t have much in Woodside, the library is the only space that is open to all – it’s the centre of the community.”
Libraries are ‘vital’
Fiona Meade came straight from a separate protest outside her local Cornhill Library to speak at the city centre demonstration.
She said: “When we spoke to our councillors in the administration we were told no – they said there was nothing they could do, no money in the budget and they were not changing their minds.
“There were no discussions, so it’s important that people come out and have their voices heard. This way we can really get out and show them how we feel, and show that the communities are really going to be affected by this.
“We don’t want our libraries to close and this is our only option – to come out in a public forum. It’s been really good for our community to speak up together on a topic we all feel the same on. We need the library to stay open.”
A great turnout at Cornhill library with many talking about how the library is how they access internet and other IT facilities which they don’t have at home. #SaveAberdeenLibraries pic.twitter.com/WzMnS76kGn
— Save Aberdeen Libraries (@SaveAbdnLibs) March 25, 2023
Guy Ingerson, co-convener of Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire Greens, was one of the many people who attended the demonstration today and shared why fighting to save the libraries means so much to him.
He said: “As someone who has experienced digital poverty in the past, I know how vital libraries are. I’ve been in a position where I had no laptop and I couldn’t pay my phone bill and had to look for work.
“My local library was the place where I was able to do that and could get the support I needed.
“There are so many people across the city who are experiencing those same conditions now and it is vital they have the support they need.”
Meeting on Monday
Online petitions were set up following the announcement of the closures in the council budget and have now gained around 6,000 signatures in total.
A last-minute push for names was carried out at the demonstration ahead of the petitions being delivered to the local authority alongside letters from concerned residents.
Everyone in attendance today was encouraged to continue their fight by showing up outside the Town House on Monday where a special meeting of the council will take place – which campaigners have been told they will not be able to speak at.
Conversation