WHILE Bowhill and Crossgates libraries have closed other communities which faced a similar end have now seen a change in plan.

Fife Council Executive Committee has approved a business plan submitted by Falkland Village Hall Trust, after receiving and considering two proposals for the running of the facility. This means that the Council can now enter into discussions with them about lease arrangements for taking over the Falkland library building when Fife Cultural Trust ceases a statutory service at the facility in Spring 2017.

New options are also being progressed to ensure book borrowing and community provision will continue to be offered in the Abbeyview and Glenwood communities after feasibility exercises at Woodmill and Glenwood High Schools concluded that it’s not viable to incorporate library services into the schools.

The Executive Committee agreed to interim arrangements being put in place to accommodate a community book borrowing service in Abbeyview Local Office until a wider review of community facilities in the local area are progressed, with the possibility of being accommodated in an integrated facility in the future. The current library facility is due to close in March 2017.

A joint business plan has also been developed by Glenrothes Area Residents Federation and West Glenrothes Tenants and Residents Association for a community-run library in Glenwood.

The libraries without alternative delivery models that have already closed are Bowhill, Crossgates, Freuchie and Thornton.

Where there has been closures, the Mobile Service will continue to provide book borrowing services and that is to be experienced in the likes of Kinglassie, Hill of Beath, parts of Cardenden and Crossgates.

Council Leader, and Chair of the Executive Committee, Cllr David Ross said: “We very much welcome the range of proposals that we’ve received for alternatively run libraries from the affected communities across Fife. "We’re having to make very difficult decisions as a result of our financial challenges and the review of Fife’s libraries has been an emotive and difficult one for everyone.

"So are now in the position where it looks like at least half of the communities affected by the library closures will have alternative library provision available to them, as well as the continuation of mobile library services across Fife. When the changes are fully implemented we will still maintain one of the largest statutory library networks in Scotland with 35 libraries and two mobile libraries".