How kind of Councillor Robert Rams to consult us on the future shape of our library service.

However, I fear he may have already made up his mind about what our service will be like in the future.

He boasts of Barnet libraries bucking the national trend by citing increasing visitor numbers.

He puts this down to e-books and online reference materials. This strikes me as highly illogical since these applications are aimed at home users.

Surely people primarily visit the library to take out books, use the IT facilities or take part in the activities organised by our excellent librarians?

I really cannot envisage a need for online rhyme times, reading groups, knitting circles and coffee mornings.

Examination of council papers has indicated that there are already plans to sell off libraries and allotments.

With this in mind, Cllr Rams’ comments that we can learn from booksellers who do not require a high street presence to provide a service, suggest we shall find Hendon Library, for example, sold off to Middlesex University in the same way that all the other council buildings in The Burroughs have been.

Meanwhile, the librarians who have been a great credit to the council, will be thrown out of work.

How bizarre that less than a year ago, Cllr Rams was proposing to waste council funds on dressing the librarians in uniforms.

I would recommend that if anybody truly cares for the future of our libraries, rather than taking part in Cllr Rams’ survey, they visit Roger Tichborne’s Barneteye website and sign his Save Our Libraries petition — a truly worthwhile online service.

Ms J Phillips
Islip Gardens, Edgware