Making connections in the local community is important in making you feel at home. You'll discover Aberdeen to be a welcoming, vibrant city while the rural areas of Grampian offer a great community spirit and plenty of good facilities for families. The community is truly international and with people arriving all the time you won't be the new face for long!

There are lots of resources at your disposal to help you find people with shared interests and experiences such as the local library, clubs and associations.

Before you know it, you'll no longer feel like a newcomer - you'll feel that Aberdeen is your home.

Your local library is a valuable source of information. It holds details of societies and local groups and advertises local events. Anyone resident or working in the area can join the library free of charge. You can use the reference facilities and borrow books, videos and audio cassettes.

There are 17 libraries in Aberdeen City and 37 libraries in Aberdeenshire. To find out more, or to locate your nearest library, contact:

Central Library
Rosemount Viaduct
Aberdeen
AB25 1GW

Tel. +44 (0) 1224 652500
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk

If you have a particular interest you want to develop, or perhaps want to try your hand at something completely new, Aberdeen offers a fantastic range of classes and courses at all levels. From the dramatic arts to in-depth language study, traditional music or alternative therapies, there are a host of subjects to choose from and many flexible ways to learn or study. Many courses provide crèche facilities to help you make the most of your free time.

You can find details of current courses in your local library or community centre. You can also contact the Community Outreach team at Aberdeen College who can help you find out about courses or even assist you in starting up a new class. Tel: 0800 027 0405 www.abcol.ac.uk

Learn Direct Scotland also provide a comprehensive database of classes and courses on the Learn Direct Scotland for Business Database www.learndirectscotland.com or call free on 0808 100 9000.

Making friends and connections in a new city is important in making you feel at home. In Aberdeen, you'll find many associations, organisations and clubs that meet a variety of social and professional needs. You may want to talk to people who speak your language or make contact with others working in your field. Aberdeen City Council maintains a list of community contacts representing the interests of:

• the local business community
• children and young people
• the disabled
• international and regional groups
• local residents
• retired people
• service and ex-service people
• women

For more information on community contacts, see www.aberdeencity.gov.uk. Click on 'Your City' and then on 'Community Contacts' to access the list of organisations and clubs.

Scottish culture bears the traces of a long history of association with religion. From stone age monuments and celtic settlements through to modern day ecumenical centres focused on peace and justice issues, Scotland has gained a great deal from the many faiths represented by the Scottish people.

The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting the rights of religious and ethnic minorities across Scotland as can be see in the campaign One Scotland - Many Cultures.

Your Yellow Pages lists many of these organisations under the Religious Organisations or Churches sections. You can also contact your local library for more information on regular meetings in your area.

The Scottish Executive is the devolved government for Scotland. It is responsible for day-to-day issues affecting the Scottish people including health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport.

The Executive was established in 1999 following the first elections to the Scottish Parliament. It is currently a coalition-based parliament between the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party. A First Minister is nominated by the Parliament to lead the Executive who in turn appoints the other Scottish Ministers who make up the Cabinet.

The main political parties in Scotland are the Scottish Labour Party, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Socialist Party, the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Conservative Party.

The UK Parliament at Westminster continues to legislate for Scotland on reserved matters.

It is worth noting that immigration and related matters are still the responsibility of the UK Parliament at Westminster and the power to grant citizenship is the responsibility of the UK Home Office.

Local government in Scotland is the responsibility of 29 unitary authorities and 3 island councils. The local authorities, or councils, are led by elected councillors representing the interests of the Scottish people.

Local authorities are responsible for local services such as education; planning and economic development; social work; public transport; registration of births, deaths and marriages; housing; leisure and recreation; and environmental health.

Your Yellow Pages includes a full listing of contact details for individual council departments.