'Why spend £95,000 on our library then close it?'

An Aberdeenshire community is questioning why a library which was recently upgraded at a cost of nearly £100,000 could now potentially be closed.

Macduff Library is one of 13 across the region which has been facing an uncertain future in recent months.

The council expressed "regret" last year over how the planned closures were announced, after a community backlash about a lack of consultation.

The overall plan has since been scaled back, with more discussions due to take place.

Natasha Watt, who leads the campaign to prevent the closure of Macduff library, has warned against services being "stripped away" from small towns.

Macduff Library - which was opened in 1981 - was renovated about three years ago at a cost of about £95,000.

Live Life Aberdeenshire, which runs services for the council, said no final decision had yet been made on the future of library services in the town.

The number of people using Macduff Library was falling before the Covid pandemic.

Since then, however, membership and usage have improved.

Natasha, 33, is the founder of the local campaign group Prevent the Closure of Macduff Library.

"I found out about it in November," she told BBC Scotland News. "Members of the local community were very upset about it, and I just decided that somebody needed to do something.

"It's all very well people being upset, but something needed to be done, so that is why I decided to start the campaign, and start ruffling a few feathers with it."

She said the purpose-built facility, which has been open for more than 40 years, had served the community well.

Natasha added: "People think about libraries in terms of it's somewhere to go and borrow books.

"In Macduff it's so much more than that, it is a community hub, especially for our young people, the elderly.

"It's not just somewhere to come and take books, it's somewhere for people to socialise, there's loads of groups going on in here, it's a really, really important part of the community."

On the significance of recent improvements, she added: "In 2021 and 2022 they have spent around £100,000 on this library alone.

"I personally just can't understand how you justify spending that amount of money on a library, to then close it three years later, just makes no sense to me.

"It's vital to the community."

Asked what it would it mean if it closed, Natasha said: "I think the people of Macduff would be absolutely devastated. I have been here my entire life, and I have watched these public places close one-by-one, and I think this would be the final straw for a lot of people.

"There is a library in the next town over, but I think part of the issue with that is that it's a much smaller facility. It can't house the groups that go on here."

She added there was also a large elderly community in the town and some may struggle to travel by bus.

Natasha, who uses the facility at least once a week, described herself as an "avid reader" and praised the library staff.

She also said visitor numbers were growing all the time.

Natasha added: "That trend is going to continue, because the council has invested so well in the building. It's a brilliant facility."

Councillor Ross Cassie said he believed the process had been "rushed".

He said: "I understand the financial position the council finds itself in, and libraries appear to have filtered up to the top of the agenda."

He called for "meaningful consultation" with communities, rather than "this is what is happening".

He said in the region of £95,000 had been spent on the library in recent years.

"Why this library when so much money has been spent on it?"

The new plan means the facilities in Inverbervie, Cairnbulg and Boddam could be deemed surplus to requirements.

Library buildings in Rosehearty, Kintore, Insch and Newtonhill could remain open.

Community groups in Balmedie, Strichen and New Pitsligo have expressed interest in taking over running facilities.

The future of Macduff, as well as libraries in Newmachar and Cruden Bay are still up for discussion with a decision possibly being made in June.

Aberdeenshire Council's communities committee will meet on Thursday to discuss the reviewed proposals.

Live Life Aberdeenshire said in a statement: "Councillors will this week be updated on the work that has been taking place in communities to discuss options for the continued and sustainable delivery of local library services.

"These local discussions have led to a series of proposals that would allow a continued fixed library presence in a number of cases, including the potential operation of some sites by community groups, or co-location in other buildings."

The statement added: "We remain committed to continuing to deliver library services in all the communities we have been in discussion with, whether that continues to be in a fixed location, or through tailored outreach programmes, supported by our popular digital services."

Live Life Aberdeenshire said no decisions had been made on the future use of the Macduff Library building.

"Further discussions will take place with the community over the coming weeks to identify potential options and a report will be brought before councillors in June for consideration."

Meanwhile, campaigners fighting to save several Perth and Kinross libraries from closure have met First Minister John Swinney, ahead of a council decision later this month.

Culture Perth and Kinross, which runs the facilities on behalf of the council, is considering community-led options and click-and-collect services as alternative future models.

One of the libraries under threat is Birnam, where Euan Wilding is a member of the Save Our Rural Libraries campaign.

"We have come together I think to send quite a simple message," he told the BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme.

"Libraries are an essential public service. They are often at the very heart of our communities. In an era of social isolation, that really matters."

The local authority said it acknowledged concerns amid a challenging financial climate for councils.