This petition asks Aberdeen City Council to reverse their decision to close Cornhill Library. Please share this petition widely as we try to save this vital community resource.

As part of the 2023 budget Aberdeen City Council voted to close six public libraries in Aberdeen to save just £280,000. The residents of Cornhill, Northfield, Woodside, Ferryhill, Cults and Kaimhill will all see their local branches “decommissioned”. We feel this is a very short-sighted decision, cutting a vital service in some of the most deprived areas of Aberdeen.

Our ward (Hilton, Woodside and Stockethill) will lose BOTH our libraries, as well as the nearby Northfield Library. This means only Mastrick Library will serve northwest Aberdeen. The residents of Cornhill will now be a 25 minute walk to a library, unfeasible if you are elderly, infirm, disabled or walking with small children.

What are we losing?

Cornhill library serves a large population of elderly and disabled residents. These residents cannot travel far to access another library and online services cannot replace the facilities of a physical library. Stockethill, Cornhill and parts of Rosehill are classed as areas of multiple deprivation, with education, skills levels, income and employment significantly lower than the average for Scotland (https://simd.scot

Our elderly population may not have the skills to access online library resources, while our lower income residents may not have the technology required. If our library is closed, the entire library system is lost to them. The wi-fi and PC access available at our library gives a vital resource to students, job seekers and the general public who do not have the time and resources to travel to a library in another neighbourhood.

Our library is more than just a site to get books. It serves as a warm, safe space. It provides Bookbug sessions for parents and children to meet up, share experiences and develop social skills. It introduces children to life-long learning. To close our library is to prevent our residents from accessing knowledge, enjoyment and employment opportunities. It takes away a community space in a deprived area, and further erodes our community’s already dwindling public resources.

To close four libraries in some of the most deprived areas in Aberdeen (Cornhill, Woodside, Northfield and Kaimhill) is nothing short of cultural vandalism by Aberdeen City Council.