how do we explain patron privacy in a world of target markets? | lis.dom

chrischelberg:

Libraries really do care about privacy in a world where very very few institutions care.

(via @LISnews)

From the piece:

If you work in a library, that comes as no surprise to you. You probably deal every day, especially at a public library, with people who want to pick up holds for their wives or husbands, people who want a list of every book their teenager has checked out, people who wonder why you can’t just give them a list of all the mysteries in a particular series that they’ve already read. At the same time, of course, you also probably deal with people applying for library cards who don’t want to part with their basic demographic information or their email address, because they don’t want you emailing them stuff all the time.

Good pitch to remember, despite frequently encountering some of the scenarios she describes.