A sense of community is more vital than ever | Letters

Bob Usherwood writes that public libraries were once at the heart of the communities they served. Plus letters from Michael Meadowcroft and Adam Hart

Julian Coman’s article quotes a list, from the Labour’s Covenant pamphlet, of the places we need to invest in “where people from different backgrounds, meet talk, argue and laugh” (Politicians may have forgotten about ‘community’, but British people haven’t, 7 February). While the list is commendable, public libraries are a surprising omission. Many people once saw them as the heart of the communities they served. They provide all the facilities that Coman outlines, but like the BBC they also inform, educate and entertain.

However, in recent years they have fallen foul of Conservative policies. In the austerity forced on local government, around 800 places lost that beating heart. This has happened when people need to be made aware of the dangers of misrepresentation and misinformation: dangers that threaten personal and public decision-making and could destroy our democracy. More than ever, communities require access to trustworthy and reliable information that a professional library service can provide.