American Library Association
Note: This post is published on behalf of Michelle Gibeault, Head of Teaching, Learning and Research at Smith College Libraries and also a member of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee’s Privacy Subcommittee, who conducted this interview with Sarah Lamdan. There will
Author of Data Cartels on intellectual freedom and our digital rivers on fire
Consumer data privacy is having a moment: several bills have recently been introduced to Congress, while federal agencies and state legislatures are also working on the issue.
Big Data, learning analytics, data literacy, cybersecurity, and protecting patron privacy: it’s all on the agenda at this year’s ALA Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Here is the current list of privacy-related meetings, programs, and events taking place in the Morial Convention Center June 20 – June 26.
Technology and digital data have made it easier to provide personalized online experiences. But people are often surprised to discover how much privacy they trade for those personalized experiences. How do libraries find that balance between customer service and privacy?
“Now is the time for us to tout the virtues of the library as a privacy haven to our patrons. We are not Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Google; and we should never strive to be. Our patrons are not our products. That is a huge difference between public institutions like libraries and private industries like social networks and tech conglomerates who derive their earnings from advertising.”