Sir – As you quite rightly say in your editorial (December 2) “it is impossible to over-estimate the importance of our public libraries”. As well as all the usual services, they now provide free Internet access to all and help with using it.
The ruling Conservative group on the county council says that they would like “community groups” to run the 20 libraries (yes, 20!) proposed for closure, but they put out their announcement without preparing answers to even the most obvious questions, for instance what support would be given to such groups, what would happen to the buildings and their contents, would the stock be renewed, would the remaining libraries be able to cope with the extra readers…..
They say that the “core network of libraries” would be supplemented by mobile libraries, but they carefully conceal the fact that they want to reduce the number of mobile libraries from seven to five!
These are very poorly thought-out proposals. The county cabinet must think again and give us a chance to consider alternatives such as reducing opening hours.
Susanna Pressel, Labour group spokesman on community services, Oxford
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