LIKE most railway station ticket offices, Shettleston is full of hurrying commuters, lively families, helpful staff and information leaflets by the train-load.

Unlike most, however, this booking office is also full of - books.

Started by station assistant Michael Cochrane just over five years ago, Shettleston’s awardwinning mini-library has gone from strength to strength.

And it has turned the station from a stop-on-a-journey into a much-loved community hub.

It's a perfect example of how communities working together can improve the city for the benefit of all - the message at the heart of the Evening Times Streets Ahead campaign.

Our annual campaign awards, hosted by Glasgow City Council and supported by our other partners ScotRail, Glasgow Housing Association, Scottish Fire and Rescue and City Charitable Trust, are fast approaching but there is still time if you would like to tell us about a project or individual you feel deserves recognition - find out more at www.eveningtimesevents.com/streetsahead

or by emailing lynsay.wong@heraldandtimes.co.uk You can also call 0141 302 6082.

Michael, a jolly 57-year-old, who cannot walk the length of the platform without being stopped or waved at, explains: “People stop and linger for a chat, they spend some time browsing and many are keen to tell me how much of a difference the library has made to them or their children.

“Young people who have never picked up a book in their lives tell me they have got into reading because of it. And that’s what it’s all about.”

Michael started the library with around 300 of his own books displayed on a station cleaning trolley.

As demand grew – and passengers and his neighbours handed in more titles – ScotRail provided smart blue shelving on either side of the ticket window.

He has won awards for the library, and even a mention in the Scottish Parliament.

“I’m not doing it for recognition, I’m doing it because I want people to read,” Michael says, simply. “I believe in the power of books – they take you to a place of imagination and they educate you.

“We’re lucky here, thanks to the efforts of the NHS mental health team, Playbusters and the Shettleston Growing Project, we have a lovely garden too.

“It gives people something to look at and, like the library, takes them away from things for a while.”

Michael, originally from Castlemilk and now living in Garrowhill with his wife Margaret, started working for the railways in 1978, aged just 19, inspired by his dad John.

“My dad was a yard inspector at Cowlairs and one day he suggested I follow in his footsteps, so I did,” smiles Michael.

“He is 91 and lives in Canada now but he has seen the library a few times and he thinks it’s great.”

“I’ve always loved to read – I’ve been a member of the library since I was four years old and I used to spend all day in there when I was a young boy.

“Now I read autobiographies, history books, poetry – I love all the greats, Shelley, Keats and so on.

“But books can be really expensive and that’s not right – here you can pick up a book, read it on the train and bring it back a few days later.

“We’ve also got a kids’ section, so hopefully more families will use it.”

Michael is also a published poet – his book of poems Broken Hearts was published by North Lanarkshire Council in 1995 – and his history of Shettleston railway station was turned into a leaflet for schools.

He is full of fascinating insight into the history of his station.

“The pedestrian bridge over the railway line marks the old boundary between Lanarkshire and Glasgow,” he explains on a stroll along the platform. “Prior to the trains coming this area had a coach and horses yard, and it’s where the coaches for Edinburgh left.

“There’s a sandstone mine under the ticket office too.

“One gentleman who used the library told me the station felt like it did in the old days, when there was a coal fire in the waiting room and it was warm and friendly.”

Michael grins: “I’d love to bring back the coal fire too, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”

Having worked on the railways for 38 years, it’s clear Michael is passionate about his job – and about the role local stations have to play.

“Stations should be their own little communities,” he says.

Elaine Bell, ScotRail’s head of corporate social responsibility, agrees.

“As one of ScotRail’s longest-established book swaps, Michael’s library brings a welcome sense of community to Shettleston station,” she says.

Michael adds with a smile: “As the Roman philosopher Cicero once said, if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. We are all right then, because here at Shettleston, we have both.”