I just read about the King County unstaffed library. It's a great concept for the users - a spot where you can make and receive requests for books systemwide, drop off your books, browse paperbacks, and even use a telephone to get some assistance.
The concern I have is with privacy. If users must swipe their library card to get in, I assume this information is tracked. Surveillance cameras keep a close eye on what folks are doing. While I can appreciate the security basis for these measures, it seems that new types of records are being created that track not just our behavior, but what we choose to read as well.
That's true, but you don't normally have to swipe your library card to get into a library. Some people go to libraries to look at materials onsite that they would be hesitant to check out.
Since this library is just paperbacks and requests (which by definition already have a patron ID attached, tho hopefully a number and not a name), it may not be crucial. But I raise the concern because it creates new tracking mechanisms that do in fact implicate privacy. Are the swiped card records actually deleted as circ records are?
Posted by: Mary M | December 09, 2009 at 10:12 AM
I'm confused about your concern. You have to swipe your library card to check out books, so that is already being tracked.
Is your concern that all the patron's activity will be tracked since they swipe the card to get in the building?
Most libraries dump the check-out transaction after a book is returned that connects the patron to the book. I would imagine the same goes for all patron activity.
Posted by: Jeff Scott | December 09, 2009 at 10:06 AM