It used to be that with a human librarian checking my books out, it felt more secure, like wearing my seatbelt. They'd take out a card from the book, slam an ink stamp on it with the due date, and give it to me with a smile. There was something more assuring and secure, unspoken words from the librarian which said, "Take care of this book. It's worth the development of many minds to come. They'll need it after you."
Don't get me wrong. I like the scanners. I've adapted, even at the age of 35. I'm not stuck in the nostalgia, even though I like it. Someday, even the scanners will be outdated. Our library card itself will probably contain a chip which scans automatically as we walk out the door. Another writer like myself will dictate (they won't even be writing by then) and say something like, "Checking out books at the library feels... well, so naked. Remember when we used to check out books with a desktop scanner. It just made it feel more real, unlike automatic scanners at the door. You don't even need to take the card out of your wallet these days."
All sorts of things are changing. The security of an old, familiar activity is exponentially on its way out. We'll need to find other sources of security.
