Anne Frontino of the Haddonfield Public Library in New Jersey queried the PubLib Listserve about privacy and possible misuse of library barcodes on smartphones remarking:
Our library is considering allowing patrons to use barcodes scanned onto their smart phones to check out books. … We have only had a few instances of patrons trying this method of checking out items, but we feel that there may be some privacy or other misuse issues lurking.
It was obvious that there is no universally accepted standard for securing library user information, yet privacy is a cornerstone of libraries, library ethics, and the library profession. In fact, a privacy guarantee may be the one thing in the information age that sets libraries apart from other massive information resources. It may be the singular added value that provides validation of libraries as a public service.
Library records and library use are afforded privacy protection by statute and / or published opinions in the fifty States and the District of Columbia. Many states have enacted Security Breach notification laws and Data Disposal laws that safeguard privacy. Library user privacy is also championed by the American Library Association Code of Ethics specifically through Article III:
We protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted. ~~ read more
Posted on November 27, 2010 by Robert Balliot BS, MLIS, MSCJA
This article was posted on Best of Publib: Culture of the Book, Gutenberg Parenthesis and new ways of learning . The reaction to the content was mixed on PubLib and Web4Lib listserves, and even a bit troubling. Out of thousands of Librarians who are affected by these changes, only one person commented on the intellectual aspects of the Gutenberg Parenthesis. The comments from the Web4Lib readership were about having to copy and paste a link because their e-mail could not handle long URLs.
That focus on method – where it is seen as too much effort to retype a URL – may be yet another aspect of the Gutenberg Parenthesis. As the availability to content has sped up, the value of the information is relative to the ease of access. Twenty years ago, it was uncommon to do research online. Access to scholarly resource meant physically going to a building, locating the article, and usually photocopying it. Now, the action of having to move one’s thumbs a bit on a Smartphone keyboard seems daunting. If there is no effort at obtaining information, then the most relevant information may merely be what is the easiest to access. So, even with greater access to information we may become less intelligent as human societies.
Posted on March 3, 2010 by Robert Balliot BS, MLIS, MSCJA
Best of Web4Lib Current Topics and Archives
Best of PubLib and Best of Web4Lib TV – Coming Soon!
This edition of Best of Web4Libcovers the month of February 2010. This month includes questions about digitization projects, thought-provoking discussions about the intrinsic and explicit value of library conferences, configuring analytics, and the meaning of various acronyms. Some of the topics we will be reviewing include:
Topic » PubGet ♦ DeDe Leshy at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Library wants to know about other library experiences with PubGet and comparisons to standard link resolvers – Bohyun Kim at FIU uses PubGet along with SerialsSolutions
Topic » Cable Broadband and configuration ♦ Chad Pollock at the Rogers Public Library is looking at reconfiguring broadband service from T1 to cable – What are the optimal configurations?
Topic » CMS/DAMS – EAD ♦ Margaret Gross requested definitions for the acronyms CMS – DAMS – EAD within the context of web development and the Web4Lib discussions.
The Web4Lib archives of Web4Lib the Webjunction listserve are searchable and browseable. Please note: HTML is stripped out of achives. Compose in plaintext or richtext.
Posted on February 4, 2010 by Robert Balliot BS, MLIS, MSCJA
Virtual Reference : Legal Research Study Aids
This Virtual Reference video on Youtube explores the topic of Legal Research Study Aids. The conversation takes place between Hololibrarian characters – Bonnie Bright, a second year law school student and Michael Mulligan, a first year law school student. The five print resources covered are available at most law school libraries along with many academic and public libraries. Study aids and resources reviewed include :
This Legal Research Study Aids video is about four minutes in length, and employs multi-layer learning dynamics – including text, body language, and graphic transitions. The conversation takes place between peers and is targeted towards peer consumption with subsequent referral to higher authorities (law librarians). The video is rendered in HD format, and can be scaled up to large screen applications. As a YouTube video, it will also scale down nicely for hand-held media devices.
Posted on February 1, 2010 by Robert Balliot BS, MLIS, MSCJA
Best of Web4Lib Current Topics and Archives
Video coming soon
This first edition of Best of Web4Lib covers the month of January 2010. This month includes questions about library job descriptions, thought-provoking discussions about library database marketing , library link placement, and the effectiveness of library jargon. Some of the topics we will be reviewing include:
Topic» Job Description Needed – Rose M. Schooff of the Library of Virginia requested job descriptions for library technology managers in a rural library setting
Topic » Satellite-Linked PDAs Promise To Speed Haitian Relief Effort– Gerry McKiernan from Iowa State University Library forwards this post demonstrating another practical use for hand-held media
Topic» LJ report on ALA Top Tech Trends panel– Bernie Sloan offered this link to Library Journal’s take on Top Tech Trends at ALA Boston 2010
Topic » Perceptions 2009: An International Survey of Library Automation– Marshall Breeding at Vanderbilt University Library release this excellent report reviewing integrated library systems, services and products.
Topic» Link to Library site on College website– Nancy Sosna Bohm began a discussion on the reasoning behind including or excluding links to college and University Libraries from the organizational home page.
Topic» SMS to webchat solutions –Jennifer Heise at Drew University is looking for sources and experiences connecting student cell phone text message to Library chat interfaces.
Topic» Friendly language – Coral Sheldon-Hess with UAA/APU Consortium Library is studying what is the best language to describe various library services to academic library users – Is “Course Reserves” intuitively descriptive?
Topic » Marketing databases; WAS Link to Library site on College website – Alexandria Arnold at Summit Free Public Library would like examples of how underused library database subscriptions have been effective marketed.
Topic» Favorite Extensions for Chrome? – Bob Sullivan with the Schenectady Digital History Archive would like examples of Google’s Chrome extensions that would help librarians do their work.
Posted on January 8, 2010 by Robert Balliot BS, MLIS, MSCJA
Contributors to the popular listserve PUBLIB developed Best of Publib to enhance access to the collective mind of the 8000 list members. As Best of PubLib’s sister site – Best of Web4Lib – intends to do the same with the popular library web development listserve Web4Lib. The focus of Best of Web4Lib is much more narrow in scope, although it is a continously growing and evolving study – library web development.
Here is where you can find more information about the listserve and how to subscribe. Thanks to our friends at WebJunction for hosting the listserve. Summary discussions will be posted as a weekly feature when traffic warrants or monthly when there are few discussions.
Responses varied from Manya Shorr of the Sacramento Public Library advocating for use of barcodes without requiring authentication to Dale McNeill of the Queens Library advocating familiar authentication such as PINs. 
Best of Web4Lib 
