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Consultation on Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside Libraries

Aberdeen City Council will reconsider the decision made at the Council Budget meeting on 1 March 2023 to close Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside libraries. This decision will be made at full council in December 2023.

To inform this decision Aberdeen City Council will complete a full Integrated Impact Assessment for each of the 6 libraries. The Integrated Impact Assessment will consider whether the closures have had any impact on users which are related to their protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, religion and belief, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership. It is important that all library users who have been affected by the closure of Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside libraries, have a fair and equal opportunity to have an input.

There will be a period of consultation from 11 September to 6 November 2023 and its purpose is to understand the impact that these library closures have had on communities and in particular, any impacts related to protected characteristics.

At the 1 March 2023 Council Budget meeting, £46.6 million of savings were confirmed for 2023/24. This included the decision to make savings through the closure of six libraries. This decision was based on library usage across the library estate and consideration of:

  • Number of visits
  • Number of issues per site
  • Number of Wi-Fi use
  • Number of (public) Personal Computer use
  • Number of enquiries
  • Number of events

 

Consultation Survey

It is important that all library users who have been affected by the closure of Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside libraries, have the opportunity to have input into the assessment.

This consultation closed on 6 November.

 

Consultation Results

Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation on the closure of Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside Libraries.

Aberdeen City Libraries values your contribution, and in addition to the consultation, the information and experiences shared will go on to inform and shape how we develop the library service in the future.

The report to Council, consultation results, and Integrated Impact Assessments can be viewed online and will inform the decision made by full Council on Wednesday 13 December.

 

FAQs

People who used Cults, Cornhill, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside Libraries. Service users will also be identified through existing library data, community connections with staff, and other networks to ensure the views of  users are considered – for example, relatives or carers who might not live locally but access the service on behalf of someone who lives there.

The consultation will run from 11 September to 6 November 2023, spanning a total of 9 weeks. Through the process, focus groups will be held at intervals at various locations and times to ensure there are adequate opportunities for participation.

In addition to taking the online survey, or completing a paper copy, the library service will be organising a series of face-to-face supported sessions at venues in the communities where the libraries closed:

  • A series of focus groups will be planned within the communities to ensure events are accessible and some will be held centrally to offer flexibility.  
  • Events will be held over intervals to ensure school holidays and working hours are not a barrier to participation in the consultation process.   
  • Questions will be set in advance and available to ensure that conversations are productive and informative for all attendees offering time to process information and respond.    

The consultation can be completed at city libraries and Marischal College Customer Service Centre, where staff will be available to assist. If you require a paper version, copies are currently available at city libraries, along with the following community venues (please check their opening hours for access):

Cairncry Community Centre, Ferryhill Community Centre, Hilton Community Centre, Inchgarth Community Centre and Northfield Community Centre.

The Aberdeen Future Library and Information Consultation opened on 19 July 2023 and concludes on the 31 October 2023.  It is proposed that the broader Aberdeen Future Library and Information Consultation and the additional consultation for the 6 libraries will run concurrently from the end of August.  Although the Aberdeen Future Library and Information Consultation is due to be reported separately to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee in early 2024, it is envisaged that evidence from both consultations will inform any decisions.

The consultation will be promoted through press releases, printed information posters, word of mouth, email campaigns and the Aberdeen City Council website.

We will use social media platforms available to us to ensure we reach as many people as possible. This increases inclusion for those who prefer to get their information from legitimate platforms on social media.   

Aberdeen City council uses the following platforms that people can use to find out more and engage with the consultation process:  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AberdeenCC   

Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/AberdeenCC   

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aberdeen_cc/   

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aberdeencc/

Further queries on the consultation can be directed to the Library and Information Service:   

Phone: 01224 070707 email: centrallibrary@aberdeencity.gov.uk or via libraries.

Questions have been framed using appropriate language and will be offered digitally via our Consultation Hub. Paper copies will be made available across identified locations.    

  • ReciteMe toolbar - Our webpage offers and accessibility tool which supports users with conditions like sight loss and dyslexia, to access the website. The tool offers features to translate information into 100 different languages, 35 languages supported in audio format  
  • British Sign Language versions and sessions will be made available.   
  • Face to face interpreters will be booked as required.   
  • Alternative formats will be offered where requested.

Qualified staff across Libraries and Information and Data and Insights Services will be in place to analyse and review responses. 

We will identify staff resources to support and respond to any queries arising as part of the process. Responses that are derogatory, demeaning and or disparaging will not be considered as part of the responses.   

  

The results of the survey and focus groups will inform the full Integrated Impact Assessments on the individual libraries. The decision to close the six libraries will then be reconsidered by the full Council in December 2023.

Following analysis, we will publish the results of our consultation on the Aberdeen City Council website and will be appended to the report to full council in December. Alternative formats can be requested from our Customer Service Centre at Marischal College and in Libraries.

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