THE changing face of libraries has been laid bare by figures showing a drop in people going into local branches as users increasingly attain a service from computers at home.

Figures released by Glasgow Life, which runs libraries as well as sports and cultural venues in the city, have revealed a sharp fall in visits.

It recorded that while more than 4.4 million went to their city's libraries during 2011/12, that number fell to just in excess of 4.1 million last year.

However, libraries remain upbeat about the popularity of the service and underline a surge in the number of people using library services, such as renewing books, from their own computers.

Taking into account these "virtual attendances" the total number of library visits increased from five million three years ago to more than 5.5 million last year.

The report also found students, family history researchers, pensioners, school children as well as parents with babies and toddlers were going to the buildings to borrow books, read a newspaper or attend a nursery rhyme or storytelling session as the service reached out to new users.

It also said there were more than 9,000 attendances at Bounce And Rhyme sessions for parents and young children, and that its Wee Write! book festival for children, held for the first time in March 2014, attracted more than 3,000 visitors.

Douglas White, head of advocacy at the Carnegie UK Trust, said libraries were still seen as an essential service, but there was a gap between the way people view them and the extent they use them regularly.

A survey carried out two years ago by Ipsos Mori for the trust, a charity founded by Scots-born US steel industrialist and later philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who funded public libraries, found 61 per cent of people in Scotland used a library at least once in the previous 12 months, a higher rate than in any other part of the UK.

However, the trust said public library services needed to adjust and develop to "a changing world" to keep attracting visitors.

Mr White said the figures from Glasgow Life reflected those findings. "People do see libraries as an essential service in their communities," he said. "They value them and see them as a safe space where they can go. But there is a gap between people saying libraries are important to them and the extent they use them. The fact more people are using them online is definitely positive.

"Libraries have always been innovative. They've changed and adapted over time in the way they do things. They've been pioneering in helping people get on line and use the internet, and been involved in helping people find jobs. That does need to continue. Libraries need to continue thinking how they do things differently and that can include how they use the physical space of library buildings."

Glasgow has 32 community libraries as well as the Mitchell Library in North Street - the largest public network of library and information services in Scotland. It hosted this year's Wee Write!, with authors such as Julia Donaldson.

Karen Cunningham, head of Glasgow Libraries, said: "Over 5.5 million visits have been made to Glasgow's libraries in the last year, a number that continues to rise. We have transformed our services to allow people to visit in person, or as is proving increasingly popular, visit online. Our libraries continue to be at the very heart of our community.

"Be that for enjoying the simple pleasure of borrowing a book, for researching an important piece of work or through our Bounce And Rhyme sessions, introducing the next generation to the wonders of reading, which I firmly believe is one of the best gifts we can give our children."