The Inevitability of Library Automation

Library automation is considered in terms of technological directionality citing sources from various disciplines including the work of various theorists in the field. A brief history of library automation is followed by a look at library organizational structure and how it might be affected by technology in the future just as it has been by technology in the past. Finally, with a strong nod to pioneering economic theorists Brynjolfsson & McAfee there is a discussion on how Artificial Intelligence will affect library jobs and organization in the future. This chapter looks at the history of library automation within the context of technological directionality. Much has been written about the history and evolution of libraries, but less as to the eventual consequences of automation. The author seeks to correct this by looking at how current workflows and departments will be impacted by the use of Artificial Intelligence in automated processes to take over work formerly done by trained library professionals. For the purposes of this chapter, these AIs and automated processes are referred to as robots, that is, automatons which take over work formerly done by humans. Finally, some suggestions will be made as to how a library might be restructured in light of these developments.