An historic Angus library could lend books and operate as a museum for just £5,000 per year, it has been claimed.
Members of Edzell Library Action Group (Elag) say the Inglis Memorial Hall could be staffed by a mixture of paid workers and volunteers, with a minimum running costs.
Angus Council’s neighbourhood services committee will consider proposals for the closed facility,.
This includes an £84,000 revamp to transform the Victorian building into a historical visitor attraction.
Elag has confirmed they would welcome spending on the hall, but not if it means a lending library service could not be reinstated.
In March, the council launched a consultation asking Edzell households for views on three options for the site.
These included returning the library to its original design to be used as a museum, introducing a lending library or combining elements of a museum and library.
Jean Smedley, of Elag, said the group would favour the combined option if it were staffed by a council-funded library assistant.
She added: ”While the ‘combined’ option involves some volunteer input, unlike the ‘museum’ option it does not rely solely on volunteers, which is important as people in this community already do a huge amount of volunteering.
”It would cost just £5,000 a year to staff the ‘combined’ option.
”That could provide a modern lending library and a historical attraction, possibly even a tourist information service too.
”As libraries receive about eight times more visitors than museums alone, it makes sense.
”The ‘combined’ option ensures the historical aspects are promoted, provides a better modern lending library service for the community, gives more rooms for historically interested visitors to see and would receive greater usage.”
The A-listed hall closed in 2010 and Edzell residents now rely on a mobile library service.
Mrs Smedley said the council had a library revenue budget of more than £1 million per year and claimed it was not unreasonable for Edzell to benefit from just £5,000 of that.
She also suggested the caretaker’s flat in the hall could be refurbished and rented out to cover the cost of a library assistant’s salary.
”If there is funding available it would be super to have various aspects of the historic library restored,” she added.
”We welcome the restoration of the historic library as it would make a far better end product.
”However, if funds are too tight they are not necessarily all essential to the ‘combined’ option.”