Your front page article (‘Town hall protest’, Times Series, March 5) made it quite clear just how much Barnet libraries are valued by all sections of the community. There was also a crowded meeting in favour of my local library in Childs Hill and others throughout the borough, but it was a piece of paper written on by three children, unsolicited and given to me at the library, which encapsulated the feelings of the younger generation.

The children get straight to the point and ask: 1. Why is the library closing? 2. What will be here instead? 3. Where will we go?

Libraries are an important part of a civilised community. They provide books, access to IT and community space and information. They are great social equalisers, enabling the poorer members of our community to use the web to access the online borough and library services, in particular for schoolchildren, the encyclopedias and non-fiction sources they need for schoolwork and the books that are the current read among their classmates.

Childs Hill Library is not just a source of books, it is an all-round community asset and I am sure other library users feel the same.

The current consultation is indeed flawed, giving three bad options to choose from, none of which fulfil the role of a proper library service fit for the 21st C0entury. I urge the administration to reconsider their options and give the citizens of this borough a comprehensive library service local and accessible to all.

The borough had a Beacon Award for its libraries when I was the cabinet member concerned. Let’s live up to that now.

Susette Palmer

Former councillor for Childs Hill