AS a retired Warrington librarian, I was very pleased to see Jeremy Craddock’s column (Opinion, October 23) concerning the importance of libraries.

I well remember the battles I had to maintain funding in the face of cuts during the 1990s. So the job of current librarians must be very difficult and stressful.

As Jeremy says, a civilised society needs to nurture the rights of citizens to access information freely, and paradoxically the need for libraries in the internet era has never been greater.

One point Jeremy makes concerns the ability of writers to make a living if we all borrow books rather than buying them. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch — and the same principle applies with libraries.

Although loans to borrowers are free, writers gain in two ways. Libraries provide support by buying books but also through public lending right, which sees writers gain some income from books borrowed.

ALBERT HARTLEY