Perthshire library campaigners are urging councillors to step in and halt plans to axe their local branches.
They claim a consultation being led by Culture Perth and Kinross is “a sham”.
And they say councillors have the power to save services by committing to fund all of the closure-threatened libraries.
Groups in Auchterarder, Birnam, Comrie and Scone have united in a new Save Our Rural Libraries campaign.
It was launched on Tuesday, on the eve of a meeting of the full Perth and Kinross Council.
Councillors will be asked to support the area’s biggest ever council tax rise when they meet on Wednesday.
Finance chiefs are proposing increases of 10%, 10% and 6% over the next three years.
The Save Our Rural Libraries campaign says it has written to councillors to express support for the proposed tax hike.
But it says some of the additional funding should be ring-fenced to secure libraries for the future.
Stephanie Handa, of the Save Birnam Library campaign, said: “Today we are speaking with one voice to say that our rural libraries matter and we will not see them closed without a fight.”
Perth and Kinross libraries consultation ‘deeply flawed’
Culture Perth and Kinross runs libraries, museums and other cultural services on the council’s behalf.
The charity has been consulting library users across the region on the future for their services.
But the Save Our Rural Libraries campaign says this process has been “deeply flawed”.
And it claims it ignores the positive impact of libraries – and the harms that would follow from their closure.
The group is angry that the consultation survey and subsequent meetings targeted “active borrowers”. That is adults who had borrowed a physical copy of a book in the past year.
It says this approach side-lined the many people who use libraries for other reasons.
These might include warm spaces, community IT services, job seeking and other activities.
Sam Eskenazi, of the Save Scone Library campaign, said: “Once you close a library in the name of budget cuts, it’s gone forever.
“We will not let our community be robbed of what makes it so worthwhile.”
Can budget uncertainty work in libraries’ favour?
It was Perth and Kinross Council which tasked Culture Perth and Kinross with consulting on the future of libraries in February 2024.
At the time, it said “all options should be left on the table”.
Save Our Rural Libraries says it’s now in the council’s power to keep branches open.
It is calling for a halt to the closure plans while the council reviews its budget in light of the prospect of additional funding from the Scottish Government, and increased revenue from council tax.
Scott Walker, Perth and Kinross Council’s Strategic Lead for Finance and Business Administration, said: “We understand the concerns being raised by the Save Our Rural Libraries group.
“Preparations for the setting of the council budget for 2025-2026 are currently underway, taking into account a wide range of financial considerations.
“The budget itself will be set in February 2025 following confirmation of the Scottish Government’s budget and funding settlement for our own and other councils.”
Culture Perth and Kinross said it was aware of the group and welcomed suggestions for how to maintain library services within a challenging financial environment.
Perth and Kinross libraries spending already lowest in Scotland
Culture Perth and Kinross chief Helen Smout warned last week that libraries which escape closure will still face face cuts to opening hours next spring.
The organisation is seeking to reduce its budget by 12% over the next three years.
She also revealed Perth and Kinross spends less on libraries than other local authorities.
That’s despite it having the second highest usage rate in Scotland.
Conversation