Just up the road from us in Rocky Ridge a new YMCA opened this month. Inside it there’s a branch of our local library. I had heard about its futuristic design and today Ian and I went to see it.
I had requested a book and chose there to pick it up. It’s a very small branch, maybe the size of a master bedroom, but without walls. It’s just inside the main entrance. What’s special is the lack of human staff. Everything is operated by computers. You scan your card and choose the book(s) you want to take out and they pop out of a compartment in a wall. Ian thought it was cool. It’s not intended for serious research or book-browsing, but it has a few stacks of books and benches for reading. I’m not sure what happens if you try to take a book without checking it out – maybe there’s a perimeter scanner that goes off if unscanned books cross it.
The best thing is we can walk or ride up to it when the weather is better. It’s definitely more convenient.
The future…Oh no, lacking in stimulating emotional or intellectual quality…sterile!
For a small token the book will be read for you and tell you that you didn’t like it….Ha Ha!!!