Why can’t the building be re-opened as a library?
We don’t believe it is possible to re-open the building as a library. There are two main reasons.
- Whether it is considered a good service or not, Jedburgh does currently have a library, inside the school. This is looked after by Live Borders and comes with the advantage of being connected to the wider library service in the Borders. This means a second library would not be able to secure financial support from SBC or any other funding bodies, it would need to be completely independent.
- Cost. As a library it would need to be completely restocked. That is roughly 7000 – 10,000 books at around £5 per book. It would then need to pay a librarian, constantly stock new books etc all on the principle of books being free to borrow. We can’t see a way to make this work and we feel the space can be better used in different ways for the community.
Does the council have the right to sell the Library? Isn’t it owned by the people of Jedburgh?
As best as we have been able to find out, SBC do have the right to sell the building. An act in 2015 was passed in 2015 that allows local authorities to sell assets belonging to a town for common use. However, the community should have been given prior notice. Because this prior notice was not given (no mention of it in the minutes of the Community Council) it prohibited the town from forming a group to submit a Community Asset Transfer request. This process would have stopped the building being placed on the open market. As it stands, we are now part of a ‘competitive process’.
I work for or am part of an organisation that would like to show additional support for the project. What can I do?
We are collecting formal letters of support for the project and would love to hear from you. We would also of course welcome any press support. Please contact us at jedburghcarnegielibrary@gmail.com