Letters & Consultations

2021

LAS response to the Scottish Parliament Culture, Tourism, Europe & External Affairs (CTEEA) Committee’s call for further updates on the impact of Covid-19. (20 Jan 2021)

2020

LAS letter calling on Scottish Government to classify Scotland’s public libraries as an essential service (25 Nov 2020)
LAS response to the Scottish Parliament Culture, Tourism, Europe & External Affairs (CTEEA) Committee’s call for views on the impact of Covid-19 (29 June 2020)
Letter to Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop in support of Publishing Scotland sector bid: Please protect Scotland’s publishers, writers & booksellers (22 June 2020)

2019

Letter to CultureNL to protect North Lanarkshire’s libraries (30 July 2019) We urged the Chief Executive of CultureNL, the trust which delivers library services for North Lanarkshire, to re-consider the mass reduction of opening hours across all their libraries. We’ve been informed that our letter will be considered as part of the public consultation taking place until Mon 19 Aug 2019.
Open letter to Aberdeen City Council (4 March 2019) We set out the central importance of libraries to the Co-Leaders and Councillors of Aberdeen City Council who were due to vote on closing 15 out of their 16 libraries in early March. The libraries were saved and will remain open.
Open letter to Midlothian Council to protect their library service (8 February 2019). We called on Midlothian Council’s Leader, Derek Milligan, and his fellow councillors, to vote against the proposed closure of libraries in Dalkeith, Gorebridge and Newtongrange ahead of their budget meeting on 12 February. We’re delighted to confirm that the libraries will remain open.
Open letter to Moray Council to save their library service (7 February 2019). We wrote to the Leader of Moray Council, Graham Leadbitter, in response to their proposed budget cuts, urging them to reconsider closing more than 50% of Moray’s libraries, reducing opening hours in others, cutting library staff and slashing resource budgets. The letter was sent to all Councillors and to the local press, in co-ordination with CILIP in Scotland. We received responses from Councillors and CILIPS’ letter was covered in the Press & Journal.

2018

Open letter to protect the Western Isles Library Services (21 November 2018) We wrote to the Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in response to their Service Redesign 2018/19 public consultation, urging him to protect the Library Service in the Western Isles, which includes a vital mobile library service (see letter of 19 February below).
Open letter to East Dunbartonshire Council Leaders to protect their library service (21 November 2018) We call on the joint Council Leaders of East Dunbartonshire Council NOT to approve the recommendation of the Leisure & Culture Trust to shut three of the area’s libraries. On 22 March 2019, extra funding was approved at the 11th hour to keep these libraries open.
A letter in support of the mobile library service delivered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (19 February 2018) Our letter supports the outstanding mobile service already being delivered to residents of the Western Isles and urges the Comhairle to invest in three new library vehicles to ensure continuity of this vital service.
Letter to Clackmannanshire Council Budget Consultation 2018/19 – Protect Your Library Services (2 February 2018).The Council has withdrawn its proposal to close six library branches, although three libraries may become community run.
Letter to Inverclyde Council re budget consultation – Protect Your Library Services (9 February 2018) The Council have since withdrawn their proposals for closures and reductions in staffing.
Letter re Balancing the Budget Consultation 2018-2020: Protect South Ayrshire’s School Libraries (9 February 2018) The Council has since withdrawn the proposal to remove all school librarians and library assistants.

2017

Letter re Shaping Our Future: A Programme for Change – Protect Midlothian Library Services (12 December 2017) The Council has since withdrawn proposals to close all but one of its branch libraries and to end the mobile library service.
Open letter from Scotland’s writers to protect literature budget (5 December 2017)
We provided a template letter and galvanised our members to write in their personal and professional capacity to their local MSPs and to Finance Minister Derek Mackay calling for the culture budget to be protected. Read the template letter and the campaign’s success Read the template letter and the campaign’s success here. (30 November 2017)
Letter to Public Petitions’ Committee to seek clarification on development of National Strategy for Scotland’s School Libraries (9 June 2017).
We supported CILIPS’ local government campaign #LibrariesMatter in the run-up to Scotland’s Council elections on 4 May 2017. Read all about it here.

2016

2014-2015

Among a number of activities in 2014-2015, the Literature Forum for Scotland (now Literature Alliance Scotland) initiated and/or gave its support to:

Submission in support of petition to the Petitions Committee, Scottish Parliament, proposing a national strategy for school libraries in Scotland (December 2015)
Letter to Fife Council about proposed library closures (August 2015)
The ‘Every Child a Member’ initiative which aims to enable every child in Scotland to be automatically enrolled in their local library, as called for by Marc Lambert, Director of Scottish Book Trust, at the start of Book Week Scotland 2014, and which is now being piloted by local authorities through Scotland (December 2014)
Submission to the Creative Scotland Literature and Publishing Sector Review (December 2014)
Submission to the proposal for a National Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland (November 2014)
Submission to the Smith Commission (October 2014)
Submission to the Scottish Parliament Education and Culture Committee on Scotland’s Educational and Cultural Future (March 2014)
Letter to Dumfries and Galloway Council about proposed library reductions (March 2014)