There is a bitter irony that some folks believe we can do away with libraries (and with history departments!) because now you can just “find everything on the internet”  — when as this post and the ensuing thread make clear, the rapid availability of information/misinformation results in this new and highly crucial role for librarians.  And of course there are many, many Americans who rely on libraries for their access to the internet.  The internet itself has never been “free” in terms of hardware, software, or connectivity.

Folks interested in the budgetary and privacy impact of digital technology on libraries might also consider something that became evident to me during the years I sat on the Advisory Board for my county’s (excellent) public library system.  When library collections consisted only of physical objects — books, periodicals, records, cassettes, CDs, videotapes, DVDs, etc. — a library paid to purchase each item and then owned it until it either became too worn to circulate and needed to be replaced or was no longer being used by patrons and was deaccessioned.  But with digital collections — digital audiobooks, ebooks, streaming media, research databases, etc. — the library licenses the content for a limited period of time determined by the digital vendor, and thus must pay over and over for access to the same digital items.  Moreover, many of the digital media vendors require library patrons to log in with their names, email addresses, social media accounts, or other identifying information, rather than with their library card accounts.  My public library system was and remains in violation of its own policies and of ALA (American Library Association) standards by requiring this continuous release of patron data to third-party vendors, who can store, sell, or otherwise use the data as they see fit.  Sometimes library contracts with digital providers indicate limits on what is done with patron data, but there is no means for ensuring vendors (let alone hackers) abide by those contracts.  In the good old days, when the government tried to get patron information from library systems, libraries went to court to protect patron privacy.  These days, patrons and libraries hand over personal data on a scale unimaginable when most of us first flipped through a card catalog, and this personal data flows to points unknown without even the slightest protest (except from the occasional cranky Advisory Board member, whom nobody listens to, and whose terms inevitably end without any positive change made).

-Lois
Lois Leveen, PhD
Portland OR 97214
[log in to unmask]
she/her/hers

Latest article:  Imperfect Justice in the Imperfect Archive: Uncovering Extrajudicial Black Resistance in Richmond’s Civil War Court Records <https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2023/02/imperfect-justice-in-the-imperfect-archive-uncovering-extrajudicial-black-resistance-in-richmonds-civil-war-court-records/>

> On Jul 6, 2023, at 6:58 AM, Schneider, Rebecca (LVA) <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Hi Lois,
> 
> I really appreciate your thoughts on the post! The externalized costs of technological change are something I think a lot about. When I worked in public libraries, I spent countless hours coaxing our patrons through badly designed job application portals, convoluted payroll websites, etc. I used to fantasize about billing these corporations by the hour, since apparently they couldn't be bothered to hire a UX designer and preferred to foist the responsibility off on me. And of course, that doesn't begin to capture the harm done to folks who never find their way to the library and don't have the social supports to navigate these processes.
> 
> These days website usability has improved, but the quality of online information seems to be deteriorating. I'm curious to see how it plays out - if a wide enough swath of the population realizes that their Google results are filled with junk, maybe consumer outrage will move the needle? It's hard to say - after all, as tech commentators have been reminding us for years, the customers are advertisers and data brokers, not end users.
> 
> Becky
> 
> Becky Schneider (she/her)
> Senior Reference Librarian
> 
>  802-692-3550
>  [log in to unmask]
>  800 East Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219
>  www.lva.virginia.gov
> 


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