To address these questions, librarians around the world are betting that one part of the library of the future looks like a cross between a package pick-up locker and a deluxe snack vending machine, AKA automated library vending machines (ALVM’s). From Poland to California, ALVMs are expanding access to library services in a time when patronizing and staffing a physical library can be both a health risk and time-luxury that many people cannot afford. While those steps may be familiar to anyone who’s ever put a book on hold at a physical library branch, the ability to access the library without actually going inside is game changing for many individuals. First News cites one Polish city as calling the machines “a perfect solution for busy and overworked people who lack the time to visit the library during normal working hours,” as well as people who may not feel comfortable in a crowded physical space. Even before cities turned to ALVMs as a pandemic solution, libraries around the world were investing in the systems as alternatives to physical libraries. In Aberdeenshire, a rural area in Scotland, the library system decided to use an ALVM as a temporary solution while a physical branch closed for renovations in 2017. Adorably named “the Smallest Branch,” the book vending kiosk was placed in a community center. Judging from a 2019 YouTube video, the Smallest Branches are here to stay in Aberdeenshire. ALVMs also expand library services into “book deserts” or areas that are currently underserved by the library system. In some ways, the ALVM is a high tech version of the bookmobiles that have been bringing books to underserved areas for centuries (though with less whimsy and charm). ALVMs are also an attractive option for library systems with stressed budgets. The popular Envisionware “24-hour Libraries” machines cost around $150,000. While not a small fee, that’s a tiny amount compared to cost of a brick and mortar location. The TC Palm detailed one Florida County’s calculus when it chose an ALVM in 2020. The county wanted to expand library services into a growing residential area. According to the reporting, a physical library building “could cost $8 million, plus the additional cost to staff the library,” so the county invested in an ALVM for $166,770 instead. The machine they chose stores about 340 items and can serve six to eight patrons simultaneously by having multiple displays. Like many other ALVMs, it is available 24/7. Additionally, physical libraries are staffed by real human librarians who help connect readers with books and services. ALVMs are unstaffed, which means lower overhead but also fewer library jobs for librarians and fewer interactions with professional bibliophiles for the public. While many librarians were rightly angry over the risks forced upon them by COVID, libraries without librarians are a dark future indeed.
