Fallin library (as well as all other non-city centre libraries) is facing closure under Stirling Council’s budget consultation taking place right now (we've detailed their proposal at the bottom of this page). 

As well as encouraging people to respond directly to the council's consultation, we're asking for your signature here specifically to ask Stirling Council to keep Fallin library open, due to its critical value within our community. We (Fallin Community Voice) have set this out below, however feel free to skip to the "sign here" section if you're already on-board :) 

NOTE: IF YOU'RE A FALLIN/STIRLING RESIDENT, BE SURE TO SAY SO IN THE COMMENTS BOX WHEN YOU SIGN!

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Fallin is one of Stirling’s most deprived communities, situated in a rural area with increasingly poor public transport options for a population with a high proportion of non-drivers. So access to local public services within walking distance is of utmost importance in ensuring the equality gap doesn’t widen across Stirling - and our local library is key to this.

We all know that these days public libraries provide more than just books. To illustrate just how significant the library’s importance is in Fallin, we have provided further down a snapshot of real life examples from people living in the village, showing how how our library provides critical multi-generational benefits that can’t be replaced by other existing services within our village. 

Whilst our fledgling community development charity, Fallin Community Voice, is working hard with partners to improve the range of facilities in Fallin, this takes time. And one of the key benefits of our library is acting as a reliable informal meeting place for our trustees, volunteers and key partners, to help plan and implement positive local changes. Closing the library as part of this round of budgeting will certainly hamper our grassroots, volunteer led community improvement efforts, which are focussed on tackling poverty, inequality and isolation within the village using local knowledge, skills and generosity. 

Indeed, one of our anchor projects - a food & nature-focussed community garden endorsed by MP Alyn Smith and our local councillors Brian Hambly and Alasdair MacPherson - was sparked from a meeting at the library hosted by Strathcarron Hospice. Without the library, our community garden almost certainly wouldn’t be going ahead. 

Fallin Library is also used by Start Up Stirling as a food parcel collection point for local referrals. There is no other usable space in the village for this and users will no doubt be unable to afford the public transport costs needed to travel elsewhere to collect. Similarly, Citizens Advice Bureau use the library for outreach and support services and have nowhere else suitable in the village.

In addition, our librarians Anne and Laura work with us and our partners to coordinate a monthly community bulletin to share what's happening in the village, ensuring equality of information to residents whether they’re regular social media users or not (Fallin has a higher than average proportion of digitally disengaged residents). 

Among so many other things, Fallin library is:

 - A safe, friendly, welcoming warm space for those who need it, helping mitigate fuel poverty without sacrificing dignity
 - A safe, free space for parents to take their children, reducing early learning inequalities and supporting struggling parents
 - A low cost, safe internet and printing service provider for those without access, reducing digital inequality
 - A free, safe space for elderly ladies to host their knitting group, reducing social isolation
 - An incubator space for community groups exploring ways to implement place based improvements

Loss of this service doesn't mean people lose "nice to haves". It will have significant adverse impacts on people - and a wider community - already at serious socioeconomic disadvantage. These are not replaceable with mobile services or other existing local offerings. 

Fallin Library User Examples:

“My 82 year old Uncle has always lived in Fallin.  He has Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has decreased mobility.  Due to decreased cognitive brain function he is unable to independently travel by bus and only leaves the village if he has an appointment to go to and then I have to take him. He visits the library almost every week to borrow books for 7-10 days at a time. As he lives alone and spends a lot of time on his own, reading is an essential part of his daily life.  The fact that the staff know him is also reassuring.  If the library closed it would be detrimental to his mental health, well being and general independence.”

“Not only am I a resident of the village and use the library personally but more importantly I have been using the library as a hub to meet vulnerable young people who I work with who are not in a position to come into my work place for a session yet. (Multiple young people over the past 3 years). The library is a familiar place that these individuals are comfortable with meeting in, to take part in one to one sessions to help their personal development and ultimately help support them into work, college or training. I can't even count the number of times I've met young people at the library as an alternative as they wouldn't engage with our service otherwise. It deeply saddens me that the library could be closed when this is literally the only public meeting space for community members. There are literally no cafes/ safe, public spaces to meet the young people I work with or for other members of the community to have somewhere to go whether it be for the facilities or just for some company!”

“Fallin Library is a big deal for me and my wee family. We're incomers to the village, moved here in 2020 between lockdowns, and because of this, never really got out to meet folk much, other than our immediate neighbours. We now have a toddler and a baby. Bookbug and Storytime sessions at Fallin Library have been a gateway for my wee ones to socialise and learn with wee folk their own age in the village. Our budget is tight, so visiting Fallin library is one of the few things that gets us out of the house, and brings us joy, regularly. The selection of children's books is fantastic for our young learners, and we couldn't have asked for more friendly and compassionate staff who go out of their way to help. Anne and Laura are a huge asset to the community. Closing the library would mean the end of this precious developmental time for my children, because we cannot afford to get the bus to another library regularly. We initially chose to live in Fallin because of its proximity to work and good walking-distance amenities, so closing the library would definitely influence our decision to move to another part of Scotland to live and work.”

"I moved to Fallin very recently after my marriage broke down. As a single person living alone paying for divorce fees, money has been incredibly tight especially with inflation and increases in cost of living. Due to this I’ve been unable to buy a computer or laptop so having access to the computers in the library for all the paperwork/print outs needed for my divorce has really helped me a lot. And with it being only a short walk from my flat it’s incredibly handy to have that without unnecessary driving or borrowing friends laptops for something so personal. It also really helped me to apply for my current job after my relocation, showing it has really helped me to organise my life when going through all these changes. Without it, I wouldn’t be in my job and have my divorce under control. Also to add - it’s not just the computer access for important things, but also being able to read books and enjoy the more pleasurable things in life for free when money is so tight."

“Fallin Library is an absolute must for our village! My grandson has enjoyed the children’s books since he was a baby! Also the library partners with the primary school in the holidays to encourage children to read. I have reduced mobility therefore getting to another library would be almost impossible. The ability to access books, use the computers, having a librarian with their knowledge and just having a blether is invaluable. Not to mention crucial access to my husband’s hearing aid batteries! Please don’t take our library�”

“My wife and myself went to our first history talk last month, which has recently started. It’s a great place to meet. I’ve noticed that there are quite a few ladies attend the knitting circle they have there. Children come on to use the computer, probably because they don’t have one at home. I’ve been in the village for 8 years and use the library regularly. It would be a shame to see this hub of the community disappear.”

“I moved here during lockdown and recently wanted to help out at a community food event. But needed a food hygiene certificate to do this. I don’t have access to a computer at home and I’m not confident with them. Someone at the library introduced me to one of the other volunteers who supported me through the online training to get my certificate. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without use of the computer at the library. Now I’m looking forward to cooking food for my community and meeting lots of other people in the process!”

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Stirling Council's consultation proposal, available here:

https://www.stirling.gov.uk/council-and-committees/budget/big-conversation/

“Stirling Council area has 17 libraries and operates two mobile library services costing £2.4m a year. Libraries are known to be valued community spaces, but footfall in libraries has significantly decreased when comparing figures before the pandemic with now so we know the behaviour of people who use libraries may be changing. This proposal looks at closing libraries.

Which of the options would you prefer? (*Select between 0 and 2 options)

Option A – close up to half of the public libraries If chosen this option could save almost £400,000 in operating costs each year. Some communities, if their library closed, could receive mobile library visits instead. Other areas may have to travel to their nearest library.

Option B – close 16 public libraries This option would see all public libraries closed except the central library in the City of Stirling with services replaced by mobile libraries across the council area. This could save up to £1.3m

Option C - don't know/no preference”