Glasgow Genealogy Centre hopes to re-open in September

The Glasgow Registrars' Genealogy Centre has announced at https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17698 that it is hoping to re-open its ScotlandsPeople facility in the Mitchell Library in September:

Update: 12 August 2021 - We are currently in discussions regarding the re-opening of the Family History centre and hope to be in a position shortly to formalise a date, which will see the centre re-open in some capacity in September.

'In some capacity' may well mean something similar to the provisions at Kilmarnock and Edinburgh, with perhaps four hours access per slot on a set number of days, although the Hawick Heritage Hub is currently still offering a full day access service to the ScotlandsPeople system in the Borders.

Elsewhere, the body that looks after Glasgow libraries and museums, Glasgow Life, has issued an update on its wider service provision at https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/media/7434/20210818-new-corporate-gl-faqs-for-website-final.pdf. On libraries:

Why haven’t all of Glasgow’s libraries reopened?
 
Library provision has been prioritised and 28 (85%) of the city’s 33 libraries will reopen. As part of this, Elder Park and Woodside libraries will reopen in 2022 following significant investment and refurbishment; providing upgraded, modern spaces and services that will enhance the value of these buildings in their local communities in the long-term.  
 
Five libraries do not yet have a reopening date. In the case of Barmulloch, this is because it is currently being operated by the NHS as a Covid vaccination centre.  
 
The other four libraries (Whiteinch, Maryhill, Gallery of Modern Art and the Couper Institute) are historic buildings and each either requires substantial capital investment to address significant repairs or presents particular challenges in respect of Covid-safe operations.  
 
In all of these cases, work is ongoing to explore alternative local provision, subject to additional funding becoming available, and to plan for the long-term future of the buildings.  
 
Whilst Libraries are a statutory service there is no definition as to the scale and range of services that should be provided. The provision of an online service would suffice.  
 
To be clear, Glasgow has not made the decision to permanently close any of its libraries whilst other cities, such as Manchester and Birmingham, have made such decisions or moved to a model of reduced service quality.

There seems to be an element of funding poker here between Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government. But I think we should all be potentially alarmed at the line "The provision of an online service would suffice."

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.