Does Self-Checkout Make Libraries Less Friendly?

Seattlest – “Our evidence: right around the time we switched to the University branch, self-checkout appeared in the library. There were hitches — we had a particularly memorable experience where it took us 10 minutes and the help of two staff members to check out seven pieces of library material. But self-checkout improved, and we no longer got to chat with librarians or staff members as they scanned our books.”

Love the robot pic.