Future ‘Robot’ Library on Display at Abu Dhabi Book Fair

To me, this looks oddly like the “robot pharmacies” at certain medical facilities in the U.S.

They could address the aesthetic issue, I imagine. But, for goodness sakes, pharmacists play an important role in protecting our health. You can’t just replace them with a drug-dispensing machine.

And can you replace a good librarian with a book-dispensing machine?

Maybe it’s a lovely idea, and they can put these little “robot libraries” everywhere: in grocery stores, in cultural centers, churches and mosques and temples and synagogues, movie theaters, pharmacies. Why not? We don’t have to go to theaters any more, we just order a movie and receive it at home. Viola! Why not do away with many of those dusty (and expensive) libraries, full of expensive (and dusty) humans?

This part about it sounds all right (from the Timaru District Library):

Abu Dhabi’s future libraries are likely to feature 24-hour, self-service facilities with vending machines stocked with books, CDs and DVDs, allowing people to take out and return them any time of the day or night.

But this?

There will also be Playstations and Xbox consoles for teenagers to play video games….

I’m old.