Residents of an Aberdeen suburb have joined forces to ensure the story of Cults Library isn’t over quite yet…
The venue was one of six libraries to be axed during “machete-wielding” city council budget cuts two years ago.
Local authority chiefs closed them to save around £280,000 per year.
But the move was met with huge uproar, and months of debate ensued amid unsuccessful efforts to reverse the move.
Scottish author Stuart MacBride, whose books are famously set in the Granite City, even voiced his dismay at the announcement.
But now, the Cults Library Trust has been set up to get the facility’s doors open once again.
Who is behind the Cults Library relaunch?
The project has recently taken a major step forward.
A community asset transfer request has been submitted to Aberdeen City Council for the building, and the group has gained charity status.
And they recently received a boost from the local authority budget with a £10,000 award through the Common Good Fund.
Group chairman David Laing is just 20 – and certainly has a lot on his plate.
He currently splits his time between Aberdeen and Manchester, where he is studying law and criminology at university.
The student initially met councillor Marie Boulton through the Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber community council.
The idea to potentially take on the former library spawned during a meeting held around this time last year.
Marie explained: “We discussed it at community council but they didn’t feel they were in a position to take an asset transfer forward.”
With a chuckle, she adds: “So I said to David, “Well, what about us?”
Why do they want to reopen Cults Library?
The board members say there are limited library services in Lower Deeside.
“It’s making sure there is a free service there for people who are struggling with the cost of living,” David tells me.
“Regardless of income, people are wanting lower cost activities locally rather than splashing out elsewhere.”
Vice-chairwoman, Marie, said the group was determined to hang on to the building after it was shuttered at the end of March 2023.
“The library was somewhere where particularly the older generation would meet up with others,” she said.
“There was a lot of opportunity for them just to socialise and not suffer from isolation.
“Whilst we have a large settled population, we have a lot of people coming and going from the area so it’s somewhere nice we can signpost people to come and meet others.”
She added: “We felt it was another building that could disappear quickly.”
Trust ‘inundated’ with offers of help from the community
But it won’t just be books on offer at the venue if all goes to plan.
The building would be available to rent for classes or events such as Bookbug, Lego clubs, reading challenges or even CV writing skills sessions.
And, it could also welcome patients for vaccinations.
Marie explained: “Looking at different library models, you can get far more activities in there and it can be driven by what the community wants.”
David revealed that the group has been inundated with people offering to help out and volunteer.
Will Aberdeen City Council help Cults Library to reopen?
Marie tells me that council officers had given them the keys so they could get a look around and take measurements for potential refurbishment works.
But while some of the work is purely cosmetic, the group would have to stump up for some bigger and more expensive changes.
“We need to put in an accessible toilet and look at how we can install a more efficient energy system,” she explained.
“The roofing needs repaired too…the building itself is in pretty good condition but it does need some upgrades.”
Council education officers have already been exploring options with the group and are looking at how the trust can work with the library service.
David adds: “Aberdeen has a low percentage of libraries per head of population compared to most Scottish local authorities.
“So for them to have another one back on the map would be helpful to demonstrate that they are committed to libraries and to community-based education.”
What will happen next?
The transfer request is expected to go before committee within the next six months.
If approved, members will apply for more funding, sponsorships and start organising fundraising activities.
Once some cash is in place, renovation and repair work would begin, and the library could be welcoming visitors again by this time next year.
Marie added: “There will be a sense of satisfaction in that we’ve turned something that was potentially negative and could have been lost into something positive.
“The proof of the pudding will be in the way it is used by the community and that will give us the greatest satisfaction.”
Read more:
- Crime writer Stuart MacBride says closing six Aberdeen libraries ‘impoverishes chunks of city’
- Opening date and location revealed for new Cults Post Office
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- Developers make fresh bid for Countesswells battery storage site as refusal was ‘unwarranted in time of climate crisis’
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