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End of the librarian? Council cuts and new tech push profession to the brink
Staff in England’s public libraries under threat of being replaced by automated checkouts amid budget pressures
Officials in some local authorities are proposing that libraries can be operated at times without any professional librarians, relying on self-service technology, smartcards for entry and CCTV. Photograph: Charles Stirling/AlamySelf-service technology has been introduced by many libraries to provide convenience for users, but is being increasingly deployed by councils under financial pressure to cut costs. Croydon found initial take-up of self-service access hours was “disappointing”, and concluded it was necessary to pay for a security guard on site in the event of an emergency evacuation.
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