I know it's a narrow line we librarians walk between privacy and access, and that sometimes it's difficult to decide where to draw it.
I went to the Tompkins Square branch of the New York Public Library like I do many Wednesdays (cuz that's the night they're open until 8). After I returned my books, waiting in a line full of eye-rolling patrons, longer than it had to be as the circ person navigated the new system, I went to check to see any of my holds had come in. Btw I don't mind the new combined catalog; I think it's pretty much a good idea. The only irritation I have with it so far is that it doesn't show where you are on line with your holds (e.g. #3 of 40 people waiting for the next of 2 copies). I assume the hold notification system is working, but honestly, I check the hold shelf every time I go in there, whether I'm expecting a book or not.
What I'm leading up to is what I saw when I went to the hold shelf: names! In the old system I think the first 4 letters of your last name were somewhere on the hold slip, but the way you identified your item was by the last 4 digits of your library card. It's a little awkward the first time, and once I jumbled up the numbers in my head and couldn't find my book at first, until I realized what I'd done. (The last 4 digits of my library card are eerily close to the number assigned to my by my high school.) Anyway, what did I see on the hold shelf? Names? Fully spelled out last names on the hold slips on the books. I guess NYPL came down on the side of access on this one, huh? It sure is more user friendly.
But as for privacy, it sucks. I hope the library still has a policy of not revealing to anyone but the patron what materials s/he has checked out, but I guess it's a different story when it comes to what the patron intends to check out. A person could easily spy on the reading habits of family members, friends, enemies, neighbors--anyone whose last name they know. Creepy, huh? Dangerous, even.
Comments
Amanda (not verified)
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:54am
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My mom had a great story
My mom had a great story about books and privacy, about the (childless, 40ish) couple across the street who had a yard sale in which they were trying to unload a whole pile of books on infertility and adoption. And a stack of books on divorce.
It was a yard sale, so the neighbors obviously knew the story they were telling with that box of books, and my mother had an interesting chat with the wife about what happened ("We couldn't have kids and my husband didn't want to adopt and I thought seriously about divorce but in the end we decided that we wanted to grow old together even without children in our life.")
Nonetheless, privacy is more than just privacy for your intimate secrets.
What if I don't want anyone to know that I'm reading about Zen Buddhism? Don't I have the right to that privacy even if there's approximately zero harm to come to me from that word getting out? Or if the only harm is that I'd be embarrassed (Meditation is corny. Right?) and cease that line of inquiry. But that is a harm. I have a right to learn about things I just don't want my friends to know about. Vampire novels. Which are corny. Or weight training. I don't know. Or just best sellers. I thought you were a serious person, but you put best sellers on hold? You're cheesy afterall!
You get the idea. I think they should worry more about privacy. But I should probably use the library more.
Carrie (not verified)
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 2:54pm
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They do this at the main
They do this at the main (MLK) branch of the DC Public Library too (all the branch libraries I've been to still keep their holds behind the reference desk). It's quick and easy, but it's also totally not private at all. On a meta-library level this bothers me. On an individual patron level it doesn't bother me at all. But just because I don't individually care if someone can tell what I intend to read doesn't make it okay.
SPF (not verified)
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 3:18pm
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Thank you for visiting the
Thank you for visiting the Tompkins Square Branch. As a public library, we definitely do understand the desire for patron privacy and are committed to protecting it, and want to let you know that the holdshelf slips you reference in this post were adjusted on Day #2 of the launch of our new ILS to more closely match the format used with the previous system.
Shawn Farrell
Circulation Module Manager
NYPL
jenna
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 4:58pm
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Good to know! Thanks.
Good to know! Thanks.
BPL patron (not verified)
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 4:21pm
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It's that way at all the BPL
It's that way at all the BPL libraries I've been to. I can't stand it, especially since I have a very unique last name.
INTPLibrarian (not verified)
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 12:32am
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My library lists full last
My library lists full last name and first initial, too. That never really bothered me too much actually.
However, they allowed my mom to check out a book on hold for me for me! They told her it was ok because we had the same last name and the same address. WTF?
I'm pissed about it... but haven't complained. This is horrible... but I keep thinking how convenient that was. *sigh*
Deborah (not verified)
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 9:39am
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another BPL patron here.
another BPL patron here. yes, they spell out the name fully, but the title of the book is not visible, I don't think. if you really wanted to you could move the slip & rubber band to see what was underneath, but I doubt too many people are doing that.
jenna
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 11:18am
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I don't think most people
I don't think most people would go to that trouble either, but I can imagine helicopter parents, abusive partners, and nosy neighbors edging a book off the shelf to see what it is.
BPL patron (not verified)
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 2:34pm
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Not to mention library
Not to mention library stalkers going home and looking up someone on a certain social networking site right away.
Not that anyone does that, right?
Ugh.