By Tony Moore
Brisbane's largest libraries have recorded a massive slump in visitors - up to 35 per cent at one location - between 2008-09 and 2011-12.
However the falling number of visitors at suburban libraries such as Indooroopilly, Toowong, Carindale, Garden City and Toowong comes amid the skyrocketing popularity of borrowing "e-books".
E-book loans from Brisbane City Council libraries have jumped from a humble 4212 in 2008 - when they were introduced - to 116,272 in 2012.
An e-book loan is where a customer requests an electronic copy of a book which they read on an "e-reader".
At Carindale, the number of visitors has dropped by 34.75 per cent, down from 499,152 in 2008-09 to 325,647 in 2011-12.
Indooroopilly library has recorded a 21.27 per cent drop in visitors, down from 585,126 in 2008-09 to 460,656 in 2011-12.
At Toowong, the number of people visiting has dropped by 17.36 per cent, or 46,762 people, from 269,235 to 222,473.
At Garden City library, meanwhile, the drop in the number of visitors has been less dramatic, down 8.1 per cent from 697,110 to 635,687.
The council's flagship library in Brisbane Square saw its number of visitors drop by 25.5 per cent since 2008-09, from 1,040,523 visitors to 777,769 in 2011-12.
Council's Opposition Leader Milton Dick seized on the figures in the council chambers on Tuesday night.
"Can you explain why every major Brisbane library, including Brisbane Square, Carindale, Chermside, Indooroopilly and Mt Gravatt has seen a massive drop in patronage, some up to 25 per cent in the past four years?" Cr Dick asked.
In a statement, he called for the Lord Mayor to find ways to draw people back to libraries.
“Fewer people going to council libraries mean that there are fewer people borrowing books, using free computers and accessing free council programs," he said.
“This is proof that shutting down council customer service centres in libraries is driving people away from our community hubs."
Lifestyle Committee chair Krista Adams said the drop coincided with major redevelopment work at council libraries and the rise of e-book loans.
"Most of our libraries have been through an upgrade, particularly Carindale, which has led to very different times for opening and closing hours," Cr Adams said.
She said the council had recorded an increase in e-book loans.
"For these downloads you don't even have to come into our libraries at all."
Morningside ward councillor Shayne Sutton questioned whether all libraries continued the practice of library staff reading to children.
"Just as a mum, we used to go to the old Carindale library every week for the children's story book reading time on Wednesdays," Cr Sutton said.
"In the new Carindale library, the children are no longer read to. They are sat in front of a television and the text appears on a tv screen and my daughter was not interested in that, she wanted the human engagement."
Chermside library's visitor decrease was one of the smallest recorded – a 6.34 per cent fall from 523,161 in 2008-09 to 489,986 in 2011-12.