customization is a double-edged sword

[Eric Lease Morgan]

(This message is cross-posted to web4lib and pacs-l. Apologies.)

Customization is a double-edged sword, and are ready to go into the jungle?

The primary strength of user-driven, customizable interfaces to library
resources like MyGateway of University of Washington, My Library of Virginia
Commonwealth University and MyLibrary at NCState of the NCSU Libraries is
customization, but customization is a double-edged sword. On one side it
allows libraries to provide service beyond the lowest common denominator. On
the other side, customization reduces privacy.

We have seen the advantages of customization. We can remove from the picture
unwanted sets of information. People can get as much or as little
information as they desire. We as librarians can tailor our services to
specific sets of individuals. It makes us more scalable.

The disadvantage is privacy. It is possible to know what individuals are
using and what individuals are interested in. While, as a profession, we
regularly purge our circulation records, we can not regularly purge our
"MyLibrary" profiles. Doing so would defeat the purpose of the entire
system. What are we going to do when the FBI comes knocking on our door
asking to see the profile of an individual who is making death threats?

In other words, as we swing our sword one way to blaze a path through the
jungle of information, are we skilled enough not get cut ourselves as we
bring the sword back for another pass?

IMHO, the answer lies in advocating, demonstrating, and promoting the idea
of a librarian/patron relationship similar to the doctor/patient
relationship in medicine and the lawyer/client relationship in law. While
we, as a profession, practice this sort of relationship, do our patrons know
it? In this world where information is seen as the driving force of our
economy, maybe such an idea is not so far fetched, and libraries can build
on its aura of good will to promote it.

-- 
Eric Lease Morgan
NCSU Libraries
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/morgan/