Steve Earl (Letters, March 16) is more correct than he realises when sneering that the many thousands who wish to "Save Hove Library" relish the naturally-lit Carnegie building on Church Road.

It was built as a library, which purpose it can continue to serve well with certain, easily-made modifications. Had the council been leading the way on disabled access, this question would have been addressed sooner and the council would have had on its staff a disabled-access officer to evaluate and superintend the adaptation of all its buildings.

Unfortunately, Mr Earl does not appreciate that any library is as much about the building as the books therein. That is why three possible designs reached the last stage in the running for a new library at Jubilee Street in Brighton.

The windowless "pod" was ruled out, thank goodness, and the winning design was duly revised to take greater account of the need for daylight - the very thing that is lacking in the Banqueting Suite at Hove Town Hall, whose architect in 1968 was not asked to design a library.

Had this been part of the commission, he would have approached the task differently. He would have provided higher ceilings, separate rooms and a suitable floor.

Instead, he was asked to create a space which could be let out to all manner of community groups at modest cost - something that would not be possible if the space was given to a library.

-Christopher Hawtree, Friends of Hove Library, Westbourne Gardens, Hove