[Web4lib] [web4lib] survey on library website third partyanalytics privacy concerns

[Brian Gray]

I do not see how a library vendor is any different than a "front line"
person in a library when it comes to ethics. Since vendors provide the tools
we rely on to complete our tasks, sell the resources we purchase for our
patron usage, contain a lot of data that can be very valuable or destructive
(which may even include information on our patrons), their commitment to and
enforcement of ethics is just as important. If they put less emphasis on
library/information ethics than library organizations do, we would divest in
their products for the safety of our patrons.

I think to generalize and guess how a person in another job or organization
values, protects, or has been challenged when it comes to ethics, a very
slippery slope.

It seems from reading various items published by Roy in the past, I would
not question his role in library ethics.

Brian Gray
mindspiral at gmail.com
bcg8 at case.edu


On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 1:16 PM, Robert L. Balliot <
rballiot at oceanstatelibrarian.com> wrote:

>
> I agree with both of you. If library schools do their job correctly, they
> will graduate people who have internalized professional ethics. But ALA has
> no authority beyond that. There is no penalty for failure to abide by
> professional ethics. ALA does not disbar or sanction based on ethics.
>
> David is right that ALA does not sign the paychecks and many, many
> librarians have been faced with doing what they know is right professionally
> or doing what is politically expedient. So the easiest thing to do might
> just be to go along to get along. However, with each erosion of ethical
> standards the professional as a whole loses its credibility.
>
> On the other hand, Roy's stance as an employee of OCLC that sells services
> to libraries is really not the same as someone who is on the front lines of
> library services.  It is pretty easy to commit to professional ethics when
> you are never challenged and your commitment to professional ethics helps to
> sell your services.  I know lots of hawks who are all for war, especially
> when they are not the ones who serve.
>
> *************************************************
> Robert L. Balliot
> Skype: RBalliot
> Bristol, Rhode Island
> http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
> *************************************************
>