A while ago I mentioned that 16 libraries in Fife were under threat of closure and a campaign was being mounted to try to save them. I wrote to MSPs and councillors and went to meetings with managers who didn’t even have any knowledge of libraries, all to no avail. We got the bad news yesterday that THEY are going ahead with all of the closures, which will take place in April.

There was a ‘consultation period’ – which of course took place after the decision had been taken to close them. This happens all the time with local councils who all seem to have absolutely no idea what a consultation period should be.

I’m so mad and sad that so many children are going to miss out on visiting a library now because the nearest one will be too far away for their parents to take them to, especially if they have to use public transport. Teachers aren’t going to be able to take their classes for library visits now. How children are expected to have a love of books and education under these circumastances is beyond me. It’s all so short-sighted. Book borrowing doesn’t generate an income and money is everything nowadays.

All of the communities are going to be damaged by the closures. In an area like Fife, which is already disadvantaged with a high unemployment rate this is just another nail in the coffin. There are still plenty of people around who don’t have access to computers, how they are supposed to find work without that help – I just don’t know!

If you happen to live in the Kingdom of Fife then you might be interested to know which councillors voted for the library closures. They are: Councillors David Ross, Altany Craik, Kay Morrison, Pat Callaghan, Mark Hood, Neil Crooks, Lesley Laird, Judy Hamilton, Kinda Erskine, Bryan Poole and Andrew Rodger. Just in case you want to have strong words with them.

I always use my vote, even in local elections and I’m definitely going to make sure that I never vote for any of them. Remeber that hardly anybody does bother to vote in local elections and these people have all ‘got in’ with very few people actually voting for them. This is a time when your vote really will count for something.

It would be good if decent people could stand against them in the forthcoming elections and get them off the council which they definitely don’t deserve to be on.