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I was surprised not to find the library of the London School of Economics (the British Library of Political and Economic Science) ranked among the top ten libraries for expenditure on books, in your article "Libraries spending slashed" (THES, October 13). On further investigation, I discover that the data used relates to the aggregate of all schools and colleges of the University of London, which accounts for our absence.

If your reporter had had access to data for each library separately, he would have seen that the LSE expenditure for 1992/93 was Pounds 71.66 per full-time equivalent student, and Pounds 67.20, and Pounds 70.65 in the following two years.

I believe this level of expenditure places us in fourth position in the table, as would be consistent for an institution which strives to maintain teaching and research facilities of the highest international standards for its staff and students.

Lynne J. Brindley

Librarian and director of information services London School of Economics Portugal Street London WC2