It has been reported that the number of people using Margate Library has fallen by 42 per cent compared with this time last year. Many people have said that the decline is due to the new Gateway Plus service, which occupies the lobby of the library and was installed by Thanet District Council and KCC earlier this year in a bid to improve customer services. Looks like this was a bad move.

The new Gateway Plus Service deals with local authority enquiries after the old desk in the main council building next door closed in January.

Michael Child who is the owner of Michael’s Bookshop in Ramsgate, has said that “People who work there have told me it’s actually worse than that figure. I was told that when the library first reopened they were getting about 20 per cent of the people using it than they were before. It appears to be a real issue for concern.”

A KCC spokesman said that “They have dropped by 42 per cent when compared with the same period in April last year and now we have to look at why that is. The first part of that will be a mailshot to those customers who don’t seem to have returned to find out why they are not using it. I can confirm the figures have dropped by what is obviously a big number.”

I can understand why the numbers have dropped if I wanted to visit a library that’s exactly what I want to do visit a library not have to walk though people in the lobby that are there to deal with local authority enquiries.

What do you think has this put you off visiting the library?

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