SIR - According to Kathleen Kinder (T&A letters, April 19) “The borrowing of printed books remains the largest part of the library service to the public”. Well, in line with the avalanching national trend, book issues at my library are down by 15per cent from last year; active borrowers are down by nine per cent.
I agree with Miss Kinder’s “technological revolution in the library service”. Given this, NYCC could easily allow the free library access to programmes like Pressreader and the British Newspaper Archive to be transferred to members’ home computers. Though, given the cash-strapping which led to the transferal of libraries to communities, can specialist, expensive programmes like these justify even the simplest cost-benefit analysis?
It’s good to learn of the steady increase in book groups. But “nurtured by the branch libraries” is surely just a grand way of saying “we’re (relatively untrained) middlemen”. Why can’t book groups liaise with and be “nurtured” by a couple of trained librarians in the main libraries?
Only children’s book borrowing is rising, which is brilliant. I’m saddened that this, the only optimistic aspect of today’s libraries, is overlooked by Miss Kinder’s letter, as is any mention of every library’s duty to cherish, augment and catalogue local archives, photographs and news items.
Allan Friswell, Keighley Road, Cowling
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