We are, and always will be, teachers. I believe this vision to be true, but am under no illusion that the transition to the future will be anything but difficult, unsettling, and at times frightening. To today's children, virtual reality and virtual libraries are as commonplace as the clothes they wear. Physical libraries do still exist, but their use has changed. Fewer and fewer physical items are added.
Information is scanned and sent over the net.
Requests for physical loan of books still come electronically, but librarians in these facilities usually only see people on tour days. This will date me, but it reminds me of how we used to tour the post office to see how paper mail was processed. I actually work as a cyberspace guide these days. Although virtual reality and virtual libraries are readily available and easy to use, we've discovered that people still have difficulty deciding which paths to choose, and then knowing what they have and haven't found. Our systems are good, but we haven't quite reached a point where they can teach critical thinking.