YORK Central Library has been invaluable for borrowing both novels and musical scores.

Recently I found that much of the York City Music Library has been relocated to a specialist section at York St John College.

A notice informed me that it was only a 15-minute walk. The half an hour round trip was inconvenient.

Also, parking near the college costs £2.50. Users incapable of walking the distance may find this discriminatory.

I was informed that the library could get their own books sent back at a charge of 75p each to me.

I made an additional trip on foot to the college another day. All the music is displayed on the second floor of a pleasant new building.

However, no staff were in sight on this floor to assist me, no security personnel questioned my identity, nor was there any indication of how and where to check out books.

The spare computer requested an unknown user ID and password.

Musical scores are borrowed for study by music teachers and pupils and for general pleasure by classical and popular music fans.

The removal of books to a special location implies that the ordinary public is insufficiently erudite to appreciate them. Some, indeed, may find it patronising to suggest that one needs to attend a learning centre for access to these resources.

To others, entry to a college may be intimidating. If the intention is to extend education to the community, shutting resources away in a higher education college is unwise.

Or, if the city library is trying to make more space, say for computers, musical scores will become archaic commodities only to be found in museums.

Will books that some specialist has classed as literature be the next to go?

A Forrest,

Turners Croft,

Heslington, York.

Updated: 09:45 Wednesday, October 20, 2004