As I have been looking at information on social networking in libraries, I have been thinking about privacy and how librarians’ (and other library workers’) attitudes about privacy have had to evolve in the past couple of decades. When I started working in libraries, one of the big things that was stressed in my training, was that patron information has to stay private. I was told to never ever tell someone (unless it is a parent inquiring about their under 18 son or daughter) what somebody else has checked out. Also, when someone returns a book, that book disppears from their record, never to be seen again. All of this is still important, but attitudes towards privacy, in general, have changed as people are more and more willing to share imformation via web 2.0 technologies.
I’ve talked about Bookspace before and here I am about to talk about it again. With Bookspace, people share their own lists of books that they have read or are reading now and it is there for anyone to see. In that sense, it runs counter to the whole hiding and getting rid of the evidence practice that libraries have engaged in. And yes, with Bookspace, the sharing of the books one has checked out is voluntary, but I still think that it was probably difficult for a lot of librarians to come to term with libraries encouraging this kind of behavior.
Also, as libraries are evolving into more social gathering spaces and as there are more, shall I say disciplinary issues, librarians have had to re-evaluate the whole concept of privacy within the library. For instance, at the library where I work, there are security cameras everywhere. After a recent violent incident in our library that culminated in a drive by shooting across the street, one staff member brought up the fact that we as library workers are conditioned to not pay a lot of attention to what people are doing in the library for fear that we are invading their privacy. She wasn’t criticizing the way people were doing their jobs, but only bringing up the fact that we need to re-think how we do things. It’s not that we have to go up to everyone’s computers and take a peek at what is on their screen or ask anybody who is sitting in some far off corner what they are up to, we just need to be more aware of our surroundings.
I like your blog layout
The major difference is see between Privacy (patron information) and Sharing (BookSpace) is control. As you suggested, the participating in BookSpace is voluntary, the user chooses what information they share. With patron information “sharing,” the user loses control of what information is controlled.
I can totally see how library staff who have seen the evolution of the internet may struggle with this though. All that “viva los libros” revolution we have been fighting for seems to be breaking off into new age struggles and revolutions.
I think librarians will always respect the importance of patron privacy regarding what they’ve checked out, be it controversial (stuff on making bombs), embarassing (Fabio’s biography) or otherwise. However, there is also emphasis of late for librarians to get out from behind the desk to see if they can assist patrons. Whether it’s something like “can I help you find something?” or “are you looking for a good book to read?” At the library where I work, librarians are constantly asking patrons what they’re researching for statistical purposes (such as which collections are getting used) or to see if they can help (maybe the librarian knows a subject specialist). The patron has every right to decline assistance or to not reveal what they are researching, but I don’t think librarians should be overly fearful of invading someone’s privacy when asking simple questions.
True. I think that patrons will be able to tell the difference between an offer for assistance and an invasion of privacy. There is surely a difference.