A local library success story was shared last week as the Library Link service celebrated it’s 25th birthday. This popular service helps people who have difficulty getting out to access books and other library services. It’s fitting that the celebrations centred on Muirhouse Library, for it’s here that the Link service was first established all those years ago!
Library Link is a bus service for anyone who has difficulty getting to the library because of age, disability or ill-health. The free minibus picks you up from home and takes you to your local library. The bus has wheelchair access and trained staff and RVS volunteers are on hand to give assistance on and off the bus. Readers can choose their books, and then sit down to enjoy a coffee and a chat before being taken home again.
Launched in Muirhouse Library in 1992, Library Link has proven so successful that it has been adopted by nearly every library in the Capital and is now regarded as a core part of the Libraries and Information Service. Some libraries have more than one link service, catering to those who prefer to visit on a different day of the week or time of day.
The service forms a unique partnership between City of Edinburgh Council Library and Information Services and the voluntary sector. The RVS recruit and support volunteer escorts to accompany the link members and transport is provided by organisations such as PEP (Pilton Equalities Project) and SEAG (South Edinburgh Amenities Group).
RVS Operations Manager Nigel Green said: “We have been running a library service in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council since 1964 and the success of this relationship has now expanded the service offer right across Edinburgh. We currently have a library link in 26 libraries where people are transported into the library to choose books, catch up with people in a group and have tea and cake. We also provide volunteers for a home bound service for people who experience mobility issues and cannot get out of the house as freely, our volunteers bring books direct into people’s homes.
“The library link at Muirhouse library has forged a strong link in the local community with a much needed service. This has been running for 25 years and is testament to the fantastic volunteers that provide this service who have kept this going for so long. The library staff have been fantastic over the years and always support the service in any way they can, and provide the very best cake and biscuits for the library Service Users!
“Everyone at Royal Voluntary Service would like to thank all the people involved in the service and hope it is around for a long time to come. Muirhouse library are always happy to take on more people for the Library Link service – please get in contact with your local library to access this service or the home bound service.”
Library Link’s 148 volunteers provide an incredible 10,280 hours annually to support the service. Among those enthusiastic volunteers was David Colvin, who was involved in the initiative right from the start. David is now a service user himself and it was great to see him joining the celebrations at Muirhouse Library on Thursday.
Here’s to the next 25 years!
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