Edinburgh libraries once threatened with closure have been saved for the foreseeable future under new cost-saving plans approved by councillors.
The city’s libraries will see a net increase in opening hours going forward, although some branches will be open for less time every day, and branches will host less events.
Labour councillor Margaret Graham, convener of the Culture and Communities Committee, said the changes will allow the city to deliver library services “more sustainably, more efficiently and more equitably.”
The changes will see about £345,000 saved per year, helping to make up a £505,000 annual shortfall faced by the city’s library service.
Edinburgh’s library service will aim to solve the remaining £160,000 in budget pressure through other interventions.
In August 2024, Edinburgh councillors agreed that closures would not be considered to resolve library budget shortages.
Across the city, 10 libraries in less socially deprived communities were selected to have two ‘transaction-only’ days per week, where the libraries will not host any events and only carry out day-to-day operations.
Officers estimated that this will save about £180,000 per year.
At present, there are three sets of library opening hours, with 12 ‘full-time’ libraries open for 51 hours a week, nine open for 42 hours a week and seven open 32 hours per week.
Councillors went ahead with a plan that will see the opening times of ‘full-time’ libraries shortened by six hours per week and ‘part-time’ ones getting an extra six hours.
In addition, several ‘part-time’ libraries were made full time, effectively giving them a 10 hour per week opening time boost.
Balerno, Balgreen, Colinton, Gilmerton, Granton, Kirkliston and Sighthill libraries will be the only ‘part-time’ libraries left in the city.
In total, city libraries will stay open for 3.5 hours longer per week than they currently do – but officers say the changes in opening hours will still save the council about £165,000 per year.
Full-time libraries will open at 10am from Monday to Saturday, closing at 7pm on Monday and Wednesday, 5pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 4pm on Saturday.
Part-time libraries, meanwhile, will run the same schedule, but be closed on Thursdays.
The Central Library’s opening time will match that of the full-time libraries, but stay open until 7pm on Tuesdays.
The library at Craigmillar will run a full-time schedule, but open from 8.30am until 10.00am for self-checkout only.
Councillor Graham said: “I know that our libraries have a deep connection within their local community, delivering vital services that make a positive difference in people’s lives.
“While our libraries have continued to evolve, there is a recognition that we need to deliver these services more sustainably, more efficiently and more equitably across the city to meet the changing customer needs and expectations.
“I’d like to give my thanks to the 18,300 people who shared their views as part of the consultation processes.
“It is thanks to their feedback, along with a power of work from our libraries department, including significant analysis of library use, that we will be able to bring forward these changes to opening hours which cater to the needs of more users across the city.”
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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