I could hardly believe my eyes when I read that Oxfordshire County Council's library service was dumping unwanted books in a skip to be pulped.
The library service says it doesn't want them any more but surely that doesn't mean there would be no takers?
Chief librarian Caroline Taylor says the council tries to sell the books first before it dumps them.
"We don't offer them to charity shops," she explains, "because if we can't sell them then it's unlikely they would be able to either."
Well have you asked them? I doubt it.
I'm sure most charity shops would love to have a go at selling the library's unwanted stock, and the very least staff could do is offer a skipload to Age Concern, which is starting a new bookshop in Cowley Road.
Or does the council dump books because it is cheaper in terms of admin costs than linking up with another organisation?
Dumping books in the shadow of Oxford's dreaming spires – those famous seats of learning – does not seem right.
If the library service's best brains put their heads together, then I'm sure they could come up with a
reasonable, cost-effective solution.
Why not re-direct some of the books around Oxfordshire schools if linking up with charities is forbidden? At least some titles would be suitable for pupils.
But bunging books in a skip – books that council tax payers have coughed up for – is an uneducated course of action for this four-star authority to take.
If you can think of a better home for our library books, then please let me know and I'll pass on your suggestions to the council.
And if there are books you don't want the library service to pulp, then list them here. I'm all in favour of recycling but this is ridiculous.