McDermid praises ‘inspirational' libraries ahead of campaign launch

Independent

12-02-2025

Bestselling crime writer Val McDermid has returned to her childhood library in Kirkcaldy, saying she she would not be where she is today if it had not been on her doorstep.
The author, who is best known for her Wire In The Blood series and Karen Pirie novels, was visiting the library in Kirkcaldy Galleries ahead of the launch of the Love Libraries campaign.
The campaign, which begins on February 14 and runs until October, is designed to encourage more people to join libraries and make use of what they have to offer, and focuses on the benefits librarians bring to communities throughout the country.
I would not be where I am today if this building had not been on my doorstep
Val McDermid, crime writer
Val McDermid, who is a lifelong advocate of libraries, reflected on the role they played in her own life.
'It's great to come here today and see so many children finding ways to tell stories and experience stories,' she said.
'Coming back to this building, I remember how much it meant to me.
'I would not be where I am today if this building had not been on my doorstep.
'My parents couldn't afford books but they understood they were the passport to better life chances than they'd had.
'But it's not just writers who have their doors opened to the wider world by libraries.
'Engineers, lawyers, builders, artists, geographers, mathematicians, musicians – the list is endless.
'Libraries open windows that let us all fly.'
The Love Libraries campaign is organised by the National Library of Scotland and a range of partners, including: the Scottish Library and Information Council; the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Scotland; the Association of Public Libraries Scotland; and the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries.
The campaign is part of the National Library of Scotland's centenary programme, and Val McDermid is one of the library's official centenary champions.