Tim for all but a few specialist houses , publishers have already factored in the loss of the library market by simply reducing or eliminating the hardback runs . The whole library market is less than the value of wholesalers supply to Amazon, to put it into perspective . So emotionally this is a big issue but commercially it doesn't add up to a row of beans .The publishers have moved on .

I agree money certainly isn't everything but the major houses have shareholders who demand a proper return on funds employed and that is not to be found in putting any effort into patchy hardback library sales of 100-150 units , or a few paperbacks with bookcovers .My point is not that there are no sales but that they are dwindling and not getting the attention of general publishers anymore, and Tim's request will be overlooked I fear. Surely we will be moving towards libraries loaning electronic readers and downloading E books with a time out ? Publishers would show interest again if that was co- ordinated library policy.

I am a publisher and an author, I also use the library on a regular basis and used to work in the library system, encouraging people to visit them. I cannot believe that we are even discussing why libraries need to be preserved but the reality is that those in power are multi-millionaires who have not used them in years and don't realise that they are not just there for people to borrow books. They are the heart of the community, places where people can learn to read and write, be taught to use computers or find out local information.

People go there to read magazines and newspapers they either can't afford to buy on a regular basis or just want to read in company. For some, the library is the only place where they can go where people take the time to speak to them. Children discover books through story times. Without my old librarian who arranged for special events for children, I would not have grown up to be an author.

John Redwood condemned libraries because, in his half an hour's experience, he complained that they were only for middle-class readers who want books on antiques. In all fairness, my antiques books were borrowed over 4,000 times last year. I don't care what class my readers are in, I'm just grateful that they were interested enough in my books to borrow them. I wonder if Redwood took the time to look around and see what else was happening when he was there or if his agenda blinded him to how important libraries are to so many of us. Not just professionally but personally.

All publishers should be fighting to protect libraries for their current and future readers. I know I am.

What happened to the proposal, publicised in the pages of the Bookseller, that publishers would adopt libraries? It was very unclear quite what this would mean in practice.