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Charles Crook (Soapbox, THES, February 2) is imitating King Canute on the question of advertising in university libraries.

It might be nicer to disdain the nasty commercial world outside, but, as a hard-pressed academic librarian managing a shrinking budget, I cannot.

The idea of posters, bookmarks and even a screensaver is a relatively benign one that leaves necessary control over content in our hands.

Some may view this as selling our souls but would it be better to accept the diminishing book funds and staffing cuts that are the daily diet of many librarians?

Would academics really prefer an advertising-free (but less academically rich and with fewer opening hours) library?

Hilary Johnson Chief librarian University College Northampton