I would be stranded on my walk without Scotland’s libraries - their closure is devastating

“I come in here every day to read so they don’t close the library.”

That’s what one local said to me while I was walking through the village of Muir of Ord in the Highlands in August.

He said the village library, which had the apt sign “Muir Matters” on a plaque outside it, is at risk of closure due to lack of funding, as with many others around the country.

Our conversation was interrupted by children coming in for “Lego group.”

The public library in Muir of Ord in the Highlands | Katharine Hay

It reminded me of when I was working in the library while walking through Ayr in June, and a singing session for toddlers and parents nudged me to find “the quiet room”, which the space also provided.

The public library in Thurso, Caithness | Katharine Hay

The same thing happened in Thurso library, in Caithness, where a parade of children skipped in for an afternoon play session provided by the space. So I popped into the quiet room where I sat with a handful of elderly people reading the freely-provided newspapers of the day, some enjoying the peace with a coffee you could get on site. On my way out, one of the librarians was giving a visitor a tour, telling them about the history of the library.

The public library in Bettyhill, Sutherland | Katharine Hay

A woman next to me in the library in Bettyhill in Sutherland in the summer used the computer provided to sort through some life admin she couldn’t finish at home. At the main desk were drawings and letters from the local children urging the council to support services, including bringing back a local bus, and supporting the library.

Letters from children showing their support for the local library and calling on the council to support rural services | Katharine Hay

Meanwhile working in another public library, I overheard a teenage girl who was subject to bullying talk to the librarian, who guided her to somewhere quiet and safe to sit until her rowdy peers outside the entrance eventually left.

I could go on with stories like this that show how libraries in towns and villages around Scotland don’t just provide books. They are a lifeline for communities.

It’s why I found the announcement this week of 13 public libraries closing across Aberdeenshire particularly devastating.

Live Life Aberdeenshire, which delivers services for the council, said the sites would close as early as the end of the year due to reducing usage. It said libraries in the "main towns" would remain open.

The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) said this will result in 27,000 losing access to their local library.

Moray Council has also proposed a closure of seven libraries as part of an “inevitable” redesign of the current service in a bid to save £12.7m over the next two years.

That’s a fair bit of cash for the region, but won’t the council just end up spending that on activities or services that local libraries already provide?

Already with poor transport links in some rural areas, if any at all, it’s just another blow to some of these underserved communities in Scotland.

On a slightly selfish note, the local libraries have been a lifeline for me during Hay’s Way.

A friend of mine lived in Spain for a few years and remarked on how the UK had such a lack of access to free, public buildings compared to the continent.

I can certainly testify having been on the road for nine months that it’s a struggle to find places that are warm and dry where I can just sit and work without there being a cost. But public libraries, without fail, provide just that.