• I READ with interest the article Café Society (Review, April 21).

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that libraries were the first social service in Victorian times. Certainly the burgeoning café society of the time catered to the industrialist strata, leaving a huge part of the population seeking refuge in public library provision.

Moving on to the issues of today, as sparklingly illustrated in Primrose Hill Remembered, foreworded by Simon Jenkins and in a piece by Tom Selwyn, “the library came to represent a number of positive ideas: freedom (wander in and select whatever book takes your fancy), creativity (facts and fantasies at your fingertips), social solidarity (lots of news, gossip, information and friends), fun (look in at the under-fives on a Friday), democracy (meetings and discussions), help and care (for the elderly – perhaps above all, a sense of a small and manageable local space and place, where anyone could feel at home, (thanks to the familiar, friendly and knowledgeable staff).

“The library reminds us what a community can be, how precious it is and how we have to fight for it every inch of the way”.

In a piece by Maureen Hawes, “despite its limitations the [library] service was welcomed like manna from heaven, something to lift the spirit of the community during a time of austerity” for those who are unable to join the Cafe Society.

MYRA NEWMAN
NW1