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Media and Caithness councillors praised by Thurso resident for fixing a ‘farcical situation’





The issue of the lack of printing facilities at Caithness libraries is now being resolved after a recent article highlighted the problem.

A Thurso resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted local councillors and the Caithness Courier to look into the “farcical situation” of broken printers which he says is not the fault of the staff at Wick and Thurso libraries.

Printers will soon be working again at Thurso Library.
Printers will soon be working again at Thurso Library.

The man talked about being on an “endless paperchase” as he took the operator of the local libraries, High Life Highland, to task over its lack of printers.

“Members of the public often need to print legal and confidential documents but are being prevented from doing this because the public printers at both libraries have been broken for months,” he added.

Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss contacted the man to tell him that the printers will be installed this week. He said that Wick and East Caithness councillor Jan McEwan had also “been on the case”.

Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss says the printers will soon be installed in the local libraries. Picture: DGS
Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss says the printers will soon be installed in the local libraries. Picture: DGS

Delighted that the situation appears to be resolved the man said: “It’s really amazing what can be done by public organisations when they are embarrassed in the media and have certain elected representatives breathing down their necks.

“If printers at their headquarters [High Life Highland] were broken would it take 10 months to fix them?

“Caithness is fortunate to have two wonderful libraries which are used by every section of society for a whole range of activities. They haven't been used to their full potential because Inverness think about themselves and stuff everyone else.”

The library at East Caithness Community Facility in Wick will have its printer operating again soon. Picture: DGS
The library at East Caithness Community Facility in Wick will have its printer operating again soon. Picture: DGS

Before the recent news, a spokesperson for High Life Highland had told the Courier a fortnight ago: “The printers at Wick and Thurso libraries have come to the end of life and due to those being discontinued models we have been unable to replace on a like-for-like basis.

“We have been working closely with our printer supplier and the Highland Council to support the complex system refresh that is required to enable us to re-introduce new and improved printing facilities at the libraries.

“In the meantime, we are exploring options to put a temporary solution in place while we await new technology. We apologise for the inconvenience this is causing for some of our patrons.”

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