A new survey found that the number of people visiting a library has declined by 25 percent since 2005-06 when the numbers were first recorded. The number of libraries itself has decreased by 9 percent between 2005 and 2012.

It is not secret that libraries have been down in the dumps for a while now. In fact, they've lost out on a lot of business since books have decided to go digital and people prefer eBooks to printed copies. In a new "Take Part" survey conducted by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, researchers found that people visiting libraries to read or borrow books have declined by 25 percent since 2005-06 when the numbers were first recorded. The number of libraries, itself has decreased by 9 percent between 2005 and 2012.

The survey revealed that 63.8% of people said they had not used a library in the year to the end of June 2013, compared with 63.0% in 2011-12, and 51.8% in the 2005-06 survey. In 2012, 16.1% of adults used a library website, up from 8.9% in 2005-06.

According to a DCMS spokesman, the decline in visits predates recent library closures, and reflects changes in the public's behavior.

"This has pretty much been a year-on-year decline, so it has been a steady pattern," he said. "People change, and the way that they want services also changes. Libraries need to evolve, and to offer relevant services."

Between 2005 and 2012, 9% of the libraries closed down and library campaigners predicted a further closure of 340 closures by the end of 2013. Children's author Alan Gibbons described it as the inevitable result of recent governments' "neglect of the public library service".

"What we need now, and have needed for over a decade, is some sort of strategic vision," he said. "The secretary of state Ed Vaizey should fulfil his statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient service."