This man took his job very, very seriously and devoted hours of his own time to what he considered to be his mission.

This librarian's house contained large piles of books, which he took home to read to determine their suitability for inclusion in the collection. It was a very exacting and important task, because not just any sort of book was considered appropriate for the library shelves or for the borrowers.

It is obvious that libraries cannot afford to buy everything that is published. However, this particular librarian was doing more than assessing intellectual or literary merit, or whether books would appeal to borrowers.

The task this earnest servant of the people had set himself was to protect readers from their own baser instincts, and to ensure they were exposed only to ideologically sound and socially uplifting literature.

This dedicated librarian considered it his duty to ensure that all selections conformed to the set library policy. Among other considerations, books should neither reinforce nor lend themselves to stereotyping.

Children's books which portrayed girls playing with dolls and boys with trains were to be excluded as they reinforced gender stereotypes. Children's books were to be both aspirational and inspirational, and to direct young readers towards proper conclusions.

Novels were permitted to express certain reactionary attitudes if these offensive attitudes were representative of previous times. Novels set in the present were prohibited from containing reactionary and offensive attitudes that ran counter to the requirements of an inclusive society.

Selectors were instructed to regard present reality not as static, but as dynamic and pregnant with the future.

This approach to selection policy was not regarded as single-minded or exclusionary, because this librarian considered it his duty to "mould" the public by its reading choices.

Magazines were selected with special care, because of the retrograde views they expressed, and because of demeaning advertisements that promoted gender stereotypes.

I don't know how many people used this London borough library or whether there was actually anything to borrow. I am aware, however, of the problems that would be caused if all public librarians adopted a similarly painful and censorious approach.

Libraries do not buy everything and anything. Certain selection criteria are adopted to ensure that collections are relevant to local needs and that they meet a broad range of other requirements. Librarians do not purchase only what they like.

Public libraries are amazing places. They are very democratic institutions providing a great variety of services, and containing a wealth of resources. Librarians must remember that very important word which helps to define the role of our institutions: PUBLIC.

Our colleague in London missed that very important point.