SEPARATE youth facilities are to be set up in city libraries in a bid to crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
The £100,000 Libraries4U project will see rooms set aside for youngsters at facilities with the highest reports of disorder.
It was launched last night in Moredun Library, and over the next few weeks will see rooms also created in Craigmillar and
Kirkliston libraries.
It comes after the Evening News reported last month how gangs of youths were driving out traditional library goers and local groups who wanted to meet there.
Craigmillar and Moredun were highlighted as two of the worst affected in the city with reports of teenagers running riot through the corridors, while users of facilities in other areas of the city, such as Sighthill and Muirhouse, have had similar problems.
It is now hoped this initiative will not only separate youngsters from other members of the community but also encourage them to use libraries in a more productive manner, rather than it just being seen as a resource for free internet use when they want to visit social networking sites such as Bebo.
Under the scheme they will be encouraged to produce their own films, create their own comics and magazines, as well as being able to play computer games and relax in a "chill-out area".
Culture and leisure leader Councillor Deidre Brock said: "It should dispel the myth that libraries are fusty places which are only for older people.
"It lets our young people know that they are more than welcome to use libraries, and is a great way of showing that libraries have so much more to offer our younger members as well.
"It shows too that libraries mean more than just books these days, and continue to be a relevant part of our ever-changing, modern society."
The Libraries4U project, funded from the Scottish Government's Public Library Improvement Fund, has enabled the three libraries to be fitted with new resources, including modern furniture and collections of DVDs.
It is understood other city libraries could also be in line for the upgrades in future phases.
One library hoping to be included is Muirhouse Library, one of the most troublesome in the city. Local groups meeting there have been forced to lock the meeting room doors to stop youngsters bursting in, and in one incident thousands of pounds of damage was caused to the library toilets.
Police are called regularly to the trouble hot-spot, and in one case a police car was damaged while officers were in the library.
Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council chairwoman Jenni Marrow said: "It would be absolutely brilliant to be included in this. Not only would it give the kids some ideas of what they want to do with their lives but allows other library users to get on with their business in peace.
"A lot of homes in Muirhouse don't have computers so it would give those children some opportunities too."
The full article contains 498 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
