PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Sometimes an idea comes along that is (with hindsight) so obvious that not only is it accepted immediately, but everyone wonders why on earth nobody had thought of it beforehand. One such idea concerns public libraries.

Not so long ago, libraries - nearly all of which are public institutions - were being squeezed mercilessly. People were reading less, and those books that were being read were moving to Kindles and other tablets. Meanwhile, on the other side, local authorities were being forced into savings in (expensive) staff.

The new idea, made possible by technology, was unmanned libraries, as has happened in my local town. Entrance is gained using one's health insurance card, which is also the means for borrowing or returning a book. Staff are available at various times of the day; but if they are not, then you can go through the whole process yourself. That in turn allows libraries to be "open" longer, so that (eg) people with jobs during the day can go to the library in the evening.

There is in theory the possibility that a local citizen can enter the library, nick all the books and run off with them. However, the combination of video cameras and the ubiquitous health insurance card makes this highly unlikely. Besides, unless the thief is a book collector (remember that for a book lover, the service is still free), stealing a load of second-hand books won't produce much cash.  

Walter Blotscher