Seriously Social Day 3 – Community: Reaching Rural Angus – The Vital Role of Our Mobile Libraries
As part of Community Leisure’s Seriously Social campaign, ANGUSalive is shining a spotlight on one of its most quietly powerful services: the Mobile Library Service.
It may not make headlines daily, but for over a thousand people in Angus, it makes a world of difference!
In a time where public services are increasingly centralised and digitised, ANGUSalive’s two mobile libraries – Glen and Isla – remain a constant in the Angus community.
Serving 130 rural stops across Angus, the mobile libraries reached 1,207 registered users by the end of the 2024/25 financial year. These stops are more than drop-in locations and “here’s a book for you…” they’re lifelines, particularly for older adults, individuals living with disabilities, carers, and people in isolated or hard-to-reach areas.
Beyond Books: The Power of Human Contact
While the mobile libraries offer the full suite of library services – borrowing books, audiobooks, and DVDs; accessing local information, the main offer is the friendly relationships they build with their customers that have the most lasting impact.
For many customers, especially those living alone, the visit from Glen or Isla is the only face-to-face interaction they may have all week. Our drivers deliver books but they also deliver a smile by checking in on people’s wellbeing and knowing their stories.
They listen, laugh, and support and sometimes providing a gentle nudge toward other services or even being the first to spot when someone might need help.
If that’s not community, we’re not sure what is.
Adapting to Changing Needs
Our mobile libraries also play an essential role in keeping people connected to learning, culture, and each other. We provide a bridge across the digital gap, offering access to information, reserving materials for home delivery, and supporting users in navigating services.
At the same time, the service adapts to the needs of the community such as introducing new materials, crafting routes based on feedback, and responding with empathy to changing health and mobility concerns.
In schools, care homes, farms, and rural hamlets, Glen and Isla are met with anticipation and gratitude. It’s not uncommon for a customer to say, “I don’t know what I’d do without it.” And that’s the truth—without this service, many simply wouldn’t have access to the simple joy of a book, the reassurance of a familiar face, or the encouragement of someone asking, “How have you been?”
A Seriously Social Mission
ANGUSalive’s Mobile Library Service embodies what it means to be Seriously Social. It shows that building community isn’t always about big events or grand gestures.
Sometimes, it’s simply about showing up.
In every mile driven and every book exchanged, “Glen” and “Isla” aren’t just connecting people to stories that they love – they’re us write new ones too.