PauL Leivers, Dorset County Council’s head of cultural services, said that a good turnover of book stock is one of the main priorities for library users.

He said: “The book fund was reduced following the libraries efficiency review in 2008, and has been further reduced as part of the library service savings.

“Feedback from library users in Dorset shows that a good turnover of book stock is among their main priorities. This means that too great a reduction in the regular addition of new books may be counter-productive and would have to be considered very carefully.

“The county council is still in a period of consultation and the results of this will inform reports which will enable members to make decisions about the future of the service.”