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Cory Doctorow – Privacy: Is it Time for A Revolution?
Protecting reader privacy and confidentiality has long been an integral part of the mission of ALA and its members. Should it continue to be a priority? In an age when people increasingly use social networking to expose intimate life details, does privacy still matter to information seekers? Does anyone care if their library records and online searches are being tracked? If they don’t, why should they? Author Cory Doctorow discusses the importance of privacy and what’s at stake if the persistent erosion of privacy continues unchecked. Part of a panel presented by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom at ALA’s 2008 Annual Conference in Anaheim, California.
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There is an interesting article in the July/August 2008 issue of Public Libraries by Stacey Bowers where she challenges the trend of offering self-service holds as a violation of customer privacy, ALA’s Code of Ethics, and many state statutes. It raises the issue of patron convenience and library efficiency vs. user privacy.
Hey, one of these days, we’ll have to issue brown paper bags with eye holes to insure we are making every effort to protect the privacy of our patrons. I know, I know, that’s a real kick in the pants for the Green movement, but what choice do we have?
I mean patrons sit right out in the open reading Time and Newsweek and all those other sinister magazines. Do we really want other patrons to be able to identify who’s might be reading MAD magazine, or Time, or Newsweek?
This paper bag thing works even better when we want to protect the confidentiality of people getting into porn on the internet. They certainly need their privacy –ahem– don’t they?
I’m really surprised ALA has never suggested this.
I agree with Cory. John, I read the article to which you refer and I think the author protesteth too much.
Half — or at least it seems — of everything I read in our professional journals talk about customer service, customer convenience and learning how to work smarter with less staff. I honestly believe self-service holds is a great idea.
We could always put the items on hold shelves in brown paper bags. 🙂
“We could always put the items on hold shelves in brown paper bags. :)”
Actually, in Loudoun County Public Library (Virginia), they wrap the items in white paper before placing them on the self pick-up shelves.