Comments on: Elf and Privacy Issues http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/ A librarian, writer and educator reflecting on the profession and the tools we use to serve our patrons Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:11:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: casey http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/comment-page-1/#comment-35574 casey Fri, 30 Dec 2005 07:24:43 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/#comment-35574 The SPL RSS FAQ (which, yeah, people don't read) says, "RSS is a standard format, so SPL’s RSS feeds should work with any RSS reader. However, the Seattle Public Library does not support or endorse any one in particular." Sounds like SPL doesn't endorse any feed reader. Now, I agree that libraries do need to take patron privacy very seriously and not place the onus on the patron, but I wonder how long it would take them to get sued if they came out and said DON'T USE MY YAHOO! (or whatever site(s) are leaking personal info)? Oh, and Ed, it's pretty primitive but SPL has the ability to share lists of stuff from the catalog. For example: http://catalog.spl.org/link?keys=2254173,2277882,2008743,2182664,550248&name=Tunes The SPL RSS FAQ (which, yeah, people don’t read) says, “RSS is a standard format, so SPL’s RSS feeds should work with any RSS reader. However, the Seattle Public Library does not support or endorse any one in particular.”

Sounds like SPL doesn’t endorse any feed reader. Now, I agree that libraries do need to take patron privacy very seriously and not place the onus on the patron, but I wonder how long it would take them to get sued if they came out and said DON’T USE MY YAHOO! (or whatever site(s) are leaking personal info)?

Oh, and Ed, it’s pretty primitive but SPL has the ability to share lists of stuff from the catalog. For example:

http://catalog.spl.org/link?keys=2254173,2277882,2008743,2182664,550248&name=Tunes

]]> By: Meredith http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/comment-page-1/#comment-35429 Meredith Wed, 28 Dec 2005 16:16:42 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/#comment-35429 I agree, the library should try to make it as easy as possible for people to share if they want to. I love what Seattle, AADL, and Hennepin County have done. However, libraries really have a responsibility to educate patrons about information security issues, and not just those three I mentioned. We can't just say, "well, it's Library Elf, not us who is offering these feeds" and leave it at that. Education is an important part of our mission and we are doing a terrible disservice to our patrons if we don't give them all the facts about the services they may be using -- even those outside of the library. I agree, the library should try to make it as easy as possible for people to share if they want to. I love what Seattle, AADL, and Hennepin County have done. However, libraries really have a responsibility to educate patrons about information security issues, and not just those three I mentioned. We can’t just say, “well, it’s Library Elf, not us who is offering these feeds” and leave it at that. Education is an important part of our mission and we are doing a terrible disservice to our patrons if we don’t give them all the facts about the services they may be using — even those outside of the library.

]]> By: Edward Vielmetti http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/comment-page-1/#comment-35428 Edward Vielmetti Wed, 28 Dec 2005 16:09:20 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2005/12/28/elf-and-privacy-issues/#comment-35428 The Ann Arbor District Library inserts warnings in a patron's RSS feed periodically about how the information in the feed might be made public if they use an aggregator. I think that's a good approach to the problem in that it puts the news right where people can see it. As a patron who would love to get book recommendations from the library and from other patrons, I'm in favor of sharing as much as I can manage to do (knowing that there might be the occasional title I'd want to keep private). Libraries are doing themselves a disservice by not looking at the flip side of the privacy question and asking themselves "how can patrons share news about really great books"? I should be able to share a reading list of good materials right out of the catalog and not have to resort to Amazon or hand-copying them into my blog to get that word out. The Ann Arbor District Library inserts warnings in a patron’s RSS feed periodically about how the information in the feed might be made public if they use an aggregator. I think that’s a good approach to the problem in that it puts the news right where people can see it.

As a patron who would love to get book recommendations from the library and from other patrons, I’m in favor of sharing as much as I can manage to do (knowing that there might be the occasional title I’d want to keep private). Libraries are doing themselves a disservice by not looking at the flip side of the privacy question and asking themselves “how can patrons share news about really great books”? I should be able to share a reading list of good materials right out of the catalog and not have to resort to Amazon or hand-copying them into my blog to get that word out.

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