Costs can't be justified

The fall in numbers using libraries has been ongoing since the rise in the use of the internet and this will undoubtedly continue.

For you to suggest this could be down to the use of volunteers is, at best, misleading.

If you need information it is readily available elsewhere and the role of the library has evolved basically to that of a book club, which can be adequately served by volunteers who by definition are passionate about the work they do.

While it is always unfortunate if jobs are lost, times do change, just ask the ex-publicans, ex-newsagents, ex-milkmen etc.

The high cost of providing such a little used service cannot be justified.

Librarians have enjoyed some of the best working conditions available, along with a pension package other workers could only dream of.

It is hard to imagine that the pressure and stress in such a job are at the level of other professions and they are certainly unlikely to have the need to pursue a claim for exposure to industrial noise levels in later life.

I, for one, do not want anyone to stand up on my behalf, and if some people want to use a book club or meet for a chat and a warm, then that’s on a self-funding basis.

JL Charlesworth

High Green, Sheffield