Week 14 Reading Notes

No place to hide site: http://www.noplacetohide.net/

Well, I certainly believe this is completely true.  We are over - recording/ over- tracking but what can we do about it?  It seems we are so consumed with being safe, we do not consider what we are jeopardizing in the meantime.  I think this site is neat to read.  It has many valid points.  You certainly can come away feeling a little paranoid. However, I think about what is taking place on our campus right now.  That is a prime example to support what O'Hara is saying.

TIA and data mining http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/

Once again I can understand what is taking place and maybe the thinking behind the concept.  However, are we attempting communistic ways to protect ourselves from terrorism?  One has to wonder. Will the "Total Information Awareness System" and the "Domestic Spy Plan" protect us or make us more vulnerable than ever?

MyTurn: Protecting privacy rights in libraries, By Judah Hamer • September 24, 2008

Protecting the privacy rights in libraries can create other problems.  I questioned this when I first began working in a public library.  I can remember someone coming in to pick up a book on hold for a spouse or a child and we could not allow them to pick up the book without the patron's card who placed the book on hold.  I questioned this and was told it was to protect the privacy of patron.  Another instance is when we call someone to tell them the book they placed on hold is in, we cannot reveal the title unless we are speaking t the patron who placed the hold.  One last example is when a patron returns a book, that book does not remain on their record.  We do not keep a record of what patrons borrow.  Sometimes a patron will ask us , Can you check to see if I checked this out before?" and we tell them we do not keep those kinds of records because of privacy.  We are very careful to protect the privacy of our patrons.