I share Reg Jenkins' concerns about national library usage trends (Letters, October 22).
However, in Brighton and Hove it has been our experience that careful maintenance and investment has often led to increased numbers of users.
At Patcham, we have had double the number of users since the new facility opened. That's precisely why we're improving Hove Library and building a new central library in Jubilee Street.
Mr Jenkins is right to say Hove Library will close temporarily and Brighton central library will be out of action for a few months as we move from Vantage Point to Jubilee Street. We have been careful to ensure that one or other of these two buildings remains open over this period.
However, I cannot agree with his view that this will break people's habits of attending libraries. Analysts expect the opening of the new Jubilee Library to treble visits - up from around 300,000 a year to one million.
Special areas for children and young people will be important in instilling the library habit in a new generation.
At Hove, better facilities are sure to attract new users and retain existing ones. Full disabled access, for example, will attract customers with mobility problems, including many older residents.
To directly answer Mr Jenkins' question: The measures in place to arrest the decline in library usage are vastly superior libraries.
deputy leader,
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article