serving the user/cutting through the haze

I mentioned in my last post that teachers and librarians can tend to be "know-it-alls".  In that same vein, Weigand's article, "Mom and Me: A Difference in Information Values" points out that librarians (and I think educators in general) often feel their method of research is best.  I have to admit that when it comes to information searching, use, or storage, I have gotten set in my ways.  Another point I gathered from Wiegand's essay is that the search process may not be the only place where teacher/librarian and user disagree:  the patron may be looking for an entirely different outcome than the librarian assumes, as was the case with Wiegand's mother and car-shopping.  Assuming is where we need to tread carefully and go back to Elmborg's initial interview.  In our eagerness to serve and impart knowledge, it is all too easy to project our own values, priorities, and interests onto a patron's search process.  This reminds me once again that sometimes I need to shut my mouth and listen!

Listening to student needs is essential to being "student-centered", a popular phrase in education, whose core idea has seeped into reference work.  Being user-centered means catering to the users' informational and, to some extent, emotional needs.  In "Toward a User-Centered Information Service",   Morris' loose description of the user-centered reference process seems a practical physical application of Weinberger's assertions about the messy process of digital searching.  Who better to bridge the gap between the "essentialism" of the Dewey system and the dynamic human searcher than another human?  The article shares researcher Dervin's suggestion of finding a systematic process inherent in the user's ostensibly chaotic method of searching.  I disagree with the idea of a set process somewhat, as Weinberger points out, there is an intuitive and useful quality to a non-linear process like we use on the internet, though it may seem chaotic to some.  Unlike Weinberger, I do not think this process has to be limited to the digital realm.  Morris describes the process as guided by the "uncertainty principle" in Kuhlthau's research, where "individuals...seek meaning rather than answers" (23).  The librarian, by "facilitating problem solving" (24), can provide that internet-like flexibility and individualization in a way the catalog cannot.

Or can it?  I was excited to read about how being user-centered could impact cataloging practices since Everything is Miscellaneous got me thinking and wondering about such things.  After reading the book, I understood (and agreed to some extent) that Weinberger thinks the digital miscellany is amazing.  Great.  Now what do I do with that?  Where do physical libraries fit into that?  Since libraries do typically have a digital element, such as the OPAC, it seems like it might be easy to incorporate more meaningful and intuitive search tools.  However, the records on the OPAC are still attached to physical books on physical shelves, and as Weinberger pointed out over and over in his book, the physical has its limitations.  Morris has presented some ways that reference librarians can bridge the gap between the user and the physical resources.  She also shows how cataloging systems can evolve to be more user-centered.  For example, I like the idea of catalogs recording which search terms lead to successful acquisition of a piece of information.  These suggestions could then inform subsequent searches, Amazon-style.  It was encouraging to read about how Weinberger's ideas can be applied in real life libraries.

privacy: bodies and books

illustration from The Incredible Book-Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

image from babygotbooks.com

Up to this point I had been thinking about privacy issues in terms of digital privacy only, but Byrne's article reminds me that I  have been putting my personal information out there long before the days of Facebook and blogs.  I am not comfortable with the idea of my social security number floating around outside of my control, as my campus identification number freshman year, for example.  In the digital realm, the fact that advertisements pop up relating to the content of my emails is a somewhat disturbing one.  But despite my uneasiness, I did not find it necessary for Byrne to resort to giving a worst-case example: freedom of information leading to an awful murder.  I see this as a kind of fear-mongering that chisels away at the rationality of his argument.  I think many people, especially young people, are consenting to small and seemingly harmless losses of privacy, as with Facebook, that could have major effects down the road.

Streiffer's article brings up thoughts about informed consent (or lack thereof) in the case of Henrietta Lacks.  I have not yet read Skloot's account, but during the RadioLab podcast's story on HeLa, I the family members' grief and frustration over the use of Henrietta's cells was hard to hear.  I felt that if the family had been given an adequate scientific explanation in lay terms, the daughter and others would have had options other than falling back on superstition and fear to understand the cells' usage.  For example, when Henrietta's daughter found out about her mother's cells, it seemed to her that an essence of her mother had returned, almost in a haunting manner.  That being said, I was shocked that a woman's cells could be used so extensively and for so many years without the knowledge of her family.

This relates to the issues in Strieffer's article in that family members may be spared a great deal of grief and confusion if the intended use of their loved one's cells is made clear up front.  It seems the actual consent forms should play a role in making this clear, if not for legal reasons, then for ethical ones--a "respect for persons" as Charo put it (1519).  I think that some individuals may hesitate to donate a family member's or embryo's stem cells because they are not sure how the cells are to be used.  While being transparent about stem cells' usage may turn some donors away, it may also alleviate some of the tension or apprehension surrounding the entire issue.

What doe all this have to do with libraries?  Protecting privacy should be one of a librarian's central professional values.  There are few institutions that give so much to patrons as libraries while asking so little personal information in return.  The struggle continues for balance between adequate service and the right to privacy.  When I worked in my undergraduate college's library in 2003-2005, the library administration had decided to adjust the circulation software so that no record remained once an item was returned.  This victory for personal freedoms was a huge point of pride for the library staff.  Unfortunately, it also meant that if we didn't check inside the DVD case before checking the item back in, we would likely never see that disc again.

Just like stem cell research and internet privacy, personal privacy in the library is not without its complications--and more serious ones than missing DVDs.  Although I believe in supporting the privacy rights of children in public libraries, I still have not sorted out how privacy or "neutrality" works in the elementary school library where the teacher and librarian are unavoidably influencing student book selection, persuading students to find books appropriate to their abilities and interests, and enforcing our opinions regularly.  There are even more complex privacy issues in the public library, relating to library/computer use and convicted criminals.  How much can or should a librarian do to protect the rights of such an individual whose rights have been revoked by the government?  If there are still controversies swirling around the use of something as tangible as human cells or as seemingly clear-cut as ownership of one's own body, I very much doubt that we will soon sort out all the issues concerning intellectual property and privacy.

State of the Libraries: Kansas

 Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

Topeka, Kansas

photo from city-data.com

Carlson, J. (2009).  Woman fights Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library policy.  Topeka      
          Capital-Journal, The (KS).

Last year at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (TSCPL) board of trustees considered the request of a member of the "Kansans for Common Sense Policy" group.  Kim Borchers had lobbied for nine years to have four sexually explicit books restricted for minors.  The state does have a law against exposing minors to obscene materials.  However, under the same law, schools and libraries are defended in making obscene material available to the public.  The case walks the line between censorship and responsibility to protect minors.  On the one hand, libraries should be free from censorship.  As far as I understand, schools act in loco parentis (in place of parents) and therefore limiting students' access to obscene materials would be justified.  However public libraries are under no such compulsion.  Parents retain the responsibility to monitor their children's library check out habits.  On the other hand, things are further muddled by the fact that TSCPL previously caved to pressure to house Playboy magazines behind the circulation desk and make them available to adults only.  Also, libraries often do filter the internet on their children and young adult computers.  Borchers complained that the library policies on obscene print materials are inconsistent with the policies on internet obscenity.  I would tend to agree, but rather than restrict obscene materials, I believe that discontinuing the use of internet filters would be more in line with the library's mandate to provide open access to information.  Along with that, the library should provide educational workshops on safe and responsible internet use for children. This issue calls into question a library's responsibility for its young patrons versus the value of freedom of information. A solution is somewhat unclear since I do not feel that it is in any way appropriate for children to check out obscene books or magazines, but I also believe that public libraries should not limit access to materials under any circumstances.

Library program aids job hunters (2010).  Hutchinson News, The (KS).

The Kansas State Library, located within the state capitol building in Topeka, recently picked up a software program to assist those in search of jobs, seeking to take standardized placement tests, or even pursuing United States citizenship. This kind of program speaks to the librarian's sense of calling and service, of professional responsibility. Librarians should continuously look for new ways to promote equality. As the role of libraries and librarians changes, it is sometimes unclear what the field will look like in the near future. The idea of the “new” library as a community center is an appealing one. In terms of social justice work, the unbiased library seems the perfect venue to “level the playing field”. By providing services to help people better their lives, the library offers equal access not only to materials, but in a larger sense to basic rights: employment, citizenship, education. Education will be an essential part of ensuring that a program like this one will serve the public. Advertising the new programs may not be sufficient. To benefit individuals who need these software programs, the library may need to reach out to patrons who had not previously utilized the library's services. In this scenario, the social aspect of libraries intersects with the technological in a way that could bring real change.

Roggie, A. (1999). Tolerance alliance gives schools books. Intelligencer Journal (PA).

In 1999, the Alliance for Tolerance and Freedom provided seven books on acceptance to each Lancaster, Pennsylvania public school library. One book in particular, called Annie on My Mind, deals with female homosexual characters, and its inclusion in school libraries has caused some controversy. The connection to Kansas is that this same book was challenged in 1995 in an Olathe, Kansas highschool, one of seven challenges since 1988. The ACLU sued the school district for censorship and ultimately the courts found removal of the book unconstitutional. When I consider what professional responsibility means to a school librarian, I immediately think of a calling to provide a broad swath of materials to my students. I believe that each student should be able to find his or her perspective reflected in the books on school library shelves. In addition, students should have the opportunity to be exposed to other cultures, viewpoints, and lifestyles through the variety in their school libraries. The director of the Alliance donated the diverse collection of books specifically for the latter, stating, “'The purpose of these donations is to have several books on the shelves in the library giving students a perspective on diversity they might not have considered'” (1).