I WAS saddened, but not surprised, to learn the Green administration, as part of its savings strategy, considers it fair and reasonable to partially close a number of libraries across Brighton and Hove.

It is fair to say the party has its own unique philosophy on life and, in its world of instant comment and communication involving iPads, iPhones, blogs and tweeting, good old-fashioned books may be viewed as a quaint anachronism. The Green administration needs to accept our local libraries do not just do books.

Over the past few years, many people have left school with insufficient skills or academic qualifications. Libraries may now be the sole point of contact for those who were perhaps not fully engaged at school and now realise they need to develop numeracy, literacy and IT skills. People may not own a computer or have a room to study at home. When our local libraries are shut, unlike the more central areas of the city, there is no alternative venue for residents.

As a councillor in North Portslade from 2007 to 2011, I held my surgeries at our local library and saw first-hand what these establishments actually deliver on a social basis to many families. To conclude, while it may be possible to rationalise on library staffing, libraries do fulfil an essential role in the community and cannot operate on a partially-open basis.

Trevor Alford, New England Rise, Mile Oak

COUNCILLOR Geoffrey Bowden defends Brighton and Hove City Council’s proposal to stop paying subscriptions to RNIB’s talking book service, claiming protests about this cut are “inaccurate” (Letters, February 8).

He argues the 6,000 Audio books available through the library service are adequate. However, by the council’s own figures, this means audio books make up only 2% of titles available to sighted residents. When you consider one in 30 people in Brighton are living with sight loss, this hardly seems fair. The council claims Calibre Audio Library is a reasonable alternative to the RNIB service.

Calibre – far from being the largest stockist of talking books – offers fewer than half the titles available through RNIB. With 20,000 titles available on-demand, RNIB’s service far outstrips both that of Calibre and the council.

But of greatest concern to talking book customers is the loss of the RNIB Daisy player. All RNIB talking book titles are available in Daisy format, which means most books fit on a single CD and readers have the same benefits they would have when reading a print book. They can search pages and insert a bookmark, rather than having to start from the beginning. Conventional audio books are harder to use as they don’t have these functions.

We’re pleased the council will be working with subscribers to agree which service is best for them. While Calibre is an excellent service, it is simply too limited for many people who rely on talking books and often describe RNIB’s service as a “lifeline”.

We urge the council to recognise the valuable contribution talking books makes to people’s lives, and to continue paying subscription fees for those whom no suitable alternative exists.

Eleanor Bullimore, RNIB regional campaigns officer