Maryhill and Whiteinch libraries in Glasgow to be saved from closure

Almost £500,000 has been made available to secure the future of a handful of city venues that have been closed throughout Covid-19. 

The support will also be used to help reopen the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), the Couper Institute and the Barmulloch Library. 

It comes as part of a £1.25 million Public Libary Covid Relief Fund, established to support 23 projects around the country.

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 wellbeing 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 working with the library sector on our future recovery plans."

The lifeline cash comes after the Glasgow Times ran a 'Save Our Venues' campaign, which called on the Scottish Government to provide imminent support to libraries under threat.

As previously reported, Glasgow Life earlier confirmed that there were no plans to reopen the Maryhill and Whiteinch services due to a lack of funding. 

The announcement sparked a backlash among communities across the city, where read-in protests were held outside libraries every weekend. 

Almost £23,000 worth of the Scottish Government funding will be used to establish a home library service, operating from six key venues in Glasgow. 

And £9088 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 Chair, 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 wellbeing, 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.”

Commenting on the announcement, opposition councillors in Glasgow branded the funding as a "sticking plaster solution". 

Labour group leader, Cllr Malcolm Cunning said: "SNP cutbacks led directly to the closure of these libraries, taking away vital public services at the heart of local communities. 

"This one-year funding is an admission of the mistakes made, but sadly it falls far short of the £1.25m-a-year required to fully re-open all five libraries. 

"We need a full funding package that secures the future of these libraries for years to come, not a sticking plaster solution. 

"Labour is committed to a fair funding deal for Glasgow because our city deserves better than SNP cuts."