I know the problems of privacy could be largely resolved by data separation or delinking as some have said, but I come down on the side of "it's my data and I can do what I want with it." Totally purging usage data means a patron will never be able to go back and see what they used, searches they did, results retrieved, items downloaded. As a library patron, those are all things I wish I had. Some of our systems accommodate that and some don't. Even if it meant syphoning data from one source to use in a separate platform, I think it's worth looking at.
Steven R. Harris
Collection Development Librarian
Utah State University
(435) 797-3861
http://collections2point0.wordpress.com/
Received on Mon Jan 28 2008 - 12:55:23 EST