UPGRADES to Redland City libraries have prompted fears of staff cuts and eliminated human interaction, a Victoria Point resident says.
Libraries at Cleveland, Capalaba and Victoria Point closed in March for refurbishments.
This saw self-service checkouts upgraded and borrowing desks removed.
Victoria Point resident Blade Johnstone said he had visited Redlands libraries since the work had been completed and found social interaction between staff and customers were now limited.
He said further moves away from interpersonal interaction could destroy the soul of the library.
"As a self-taught person I have been a voracious reader since my teens. I joined the Cleveland library in 1977 when we came to live here and I have visited it on a daily or weekly basis ever since," he said.
It gave me a sense of belonging to the community, which I have never lost.
- Blade Johnstone
"Over the years there have been many staff pass through and they have all been unfailingly friendly and helpful.
"I continue to use the libraries at Cleveland and Victoria Point and find the new (systems) simple to use but the remaining staff seem a little forlorn."
Mary Carroll, course director in the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University, said library staff played a key role in the community.
"In many communities...the local public library may be the last remaining, freely accessible public space in the community and libraries have acknowledged this and used this in many ways to re-imagine what they do," Dr Carroll said.
A council spokesperson said there had been no redundancies following the upgrades but the nature of some staff roles may change over time.
A self-service checkout system that used Radio Frequency Identification technology would bring Redlands libraries in line with others in south-east Queensland.
"As well as saving money over time, the new system has re-energised library services with more spaces for meeting and connecting and more customer contact time to provide a better quality service to all clients," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said check-in shelves had also been upgraded and borrowing desks removed to create more space for community use.
"Library staff will also be on hand out on the floor to continue to help customers with their needs, along with new reference pods to assist with inquiries."
Dr Carroll said a key concern in introduction of automation technologies to libraries was the loss of personal touch but the technologies could create opportunities for increased community engagement by library staff.
"Opportunities open up when the library staff are freed from the desk to make contact with patrons in many, many other ways," she said.
Education programs, homework clubs, reading groups and special events were some of the ways staff could engage with the community.
Mr Johnstone said he encouraged innovation in libraries but any change that pared away a layer of human interaction was a backwards step.
"Each new generation has its vision of a brave new world but as we continue to remove the layers of human interaction to advances in technology, I cannot help but think that it is a form of unconscious social engineering that has not thought of the eventual consequences," he said.
