should be planning one in every parish, an Opposition Senator said yesterday.

Senate Opposition Leader Sen. Alex Scott , speaking as the Senate discussed new library regulations, said closing a library was like killing off an avenue of knowledge or shutting down a tradition.

Government plans to close the East and West End libraries and replace them with a "bookmobile''.

But Sen. Scott was sceptical. "Yes, you may have a bookmobile,'' he said.

"But we should be talking about a library in every parish.'' He also called for a common computerised book index linking Bermuda College, the Biological Station and the central library.

Presenting the regulations, Youth and Sport Minister the Hon. Pamela Gordon said a bookmobile would take services to the people. It was wheelchair accessible and cost effective. Both libraries up for closure were in National Trust buildings which needed renovations.

Sen. Trevor Woolridge (PLP) said he appreciated the number of library users was down in St George's and Somerset, but they were still important for senior citizens and students.

"Some things, in my humble opinion, we have to pay for,'' he said. He would wait to see if numbers changed with the bookmobile.

Senate vice president Sen. Norma Astwood hoped the Ministries of Education and Community and Cultural Affairs would come together and look at the closure of the libraries in the light of the restructuring of education.

The new regulations permit under-16s and non-residents to become Adult Library members.