Following up - again - on recent posts on libraries and privacy here and at Chronicles of Dissent, CoD has received a response from the makers of the CASSIE Internet access management system. Excerpts from their e-mail exchange: 1. Can…
Tag: Library & Information Science
Libraries and Privacy: Following up with the ALA
Following up on recent posts on libraries and privacy here and at Chronicles of Dissent, CoD contacted Deborah Caldwell-Stone, a Deputy Director at the American Library Association, for reactions of some of the issues we've been discussing. Regarding concerns about…
On the Importance of Libraries
One of the more pleasant unintended consequences of my dissertation research was unearthing how the values of privacy, autonomy, and freedom of inquiry are central to the institution of the public library. I argue that libraries serve as spheres of…
Why Privacy Matters
Rory Litwin at the excellent Library Juice blog suggests three things we can do to remind ourselves why privacy matters: Recall specific occasions in your life when you realized you needed to make some information about yourself more private, or…
Weakening of Online Privacy at Libraries
Chronicles of Dissent points to some discouraging trends at public libraries that potentially threaten patron anonymity and privacy. First, it appears more and more libraries are requiring those wishing to use their Internet services to produce a valid library card.…
Libraries vs. Bookstores vs. Google
Library Juice posts a wonderful essay by Tracy Nectoux, a library student at UIUC, who was assigned to visit a bookstore and compare the atmosphere to a library’s atmosphere. I think it's helpful to take the comparison one step further…
RFID in Libraries
Inspired by a presentation by Olivia Nellums at the Identity & Identification in a Networked World symposium, one of my post-dissertation research projects will be on the privacy issues related to increased use of RFID tags in libraries. Luckily, Don…
Privacy, Libraries, ALA and FBI
I recently discovered Don Wood's blog Library 2.0 (thanks Library Juice!). Don is the Program Officer/Communications at the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, whose goals is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance…
Google Celebrates Your Freedom to Read, Unless, of Course, You’re in China
Leslie Burger, the president of the American Library Association is helping Google celebrate Banned Books Week, taking place this year Sept. 23-30. Her post at Google's blog encourages us to visit google.com/bannedbooks, where we can use Google Book Search to…
Read More Google Celebrates Your Freedom to Read, Unless, of Course, You’re in China
NJ Librarian ensnared in privacy conflict
NorthJersey.com reports of a local librarian who told police they would need a subpoena before she would turn over the circulation records of a man who had allegedly made sexually threatening comments to a 12-year-old girl outside the library. The…
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