Here's a solution I want: Completely decouple library systems from social
networking systems.
This is, of course, what LibraryThing for Libraries has to do as we move in
this direction, since we don't connect directly to the ILS, but I also think
it makes sense ethically.
Libraries know "real" stuff about their patrons—addresses, for example. If
the SN is decoupled and asks no personal questions, you're left with screen
names or whatever, with no way to get to the other stuff.
Tim
On 1/25/08, Eric Lease Morgan <emorgan_at_nd.edu> wrote:
>
> On Jan 25, 2008, at 12:19 PM, Chris Barr wrote:
>
> > My question that I keep coming back to is: How do we
> > provide feature-rich social networking functionality
> > in our applications without undermining privacy?
>
>
>
> I can think of a few of solutions to the privacy issue:
>
> 1) Let people opt in; alert people that social networking
> practices reduce a person's privacy. Allow people to choose, "Yes,
> others can see my stuff."
>
> 2) Never associate things like tags with individuals other than
> the authenticated user. "Here are my tags. Here are other people's
> tags, but I don't know whose."
>
> 3) Ask ourselves, "To what degree is it the librarian's job to
> protect people's privacy versus educating people about privacy?" In
> some way our professional ethics are in impediment to creating
> services our users increasingly expect.
>
> --
> Eric Lease Morgan
> University Libraries of Notre Dame
>
--
Check out my library at http://www.librarything.com/profile/timspalding
Received on Fri Jan 25 2008 - 13:00:14 EST