From: Ann Shumelda Okerson <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 21:05:51 -0500 Bernie -- We are at last hearing growing numbers of privacy discussions in various library venues and forums. In at least its two most recent meetings, CNI has had presentations on privacy, and the most recent session is on my "to listen" list: ******* Swords, Dragons, and Spells: Libraries and User Privacy, a project briefing presented at CNI's December 2014 member meeting, explored these conflicting privacy challenges and surveyed the real-world data environments that libraries are working in. Panelists were Peter Brantley (NYPL), Marshall Breeding (consultant), Eric Hellman (Glejar), and Gary Price (infoDOCKET.com). Video of the presentation is now available online: YouTube: http://youtu.be/KQeK0rCQpmo Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/114594592 ******* Last November, the Charleston conference featured a well attended session, "Privacy in the Digital Age," with some very helpful presentations, particularly regarding strategic thinking in this area: http://2014charlestonconference.sched.org/event/ddd2829e1f1278192f5e96b32b263d21#.VO0rOMaDlXA At the same conference, Bill Hannay (Schiff, Hardin, Chicago) in a plenary session spoke about privacy and the EU legislation (The Right to be Forgotten) and the comparatively less attention this matter gets in the US. Gary Price (InfoDocket) is passionate about this topic and you'll find privacy items in his LJ columns. At the Fiesole Retreat (Berlin, May 2015), the closing session will feature among others, Pam Dixon, who heads the World Privacy Forum. Pam's work is worth seeking out; it has been covered in the New York Times, for example. I realize this message is a bit "catch as catch can" and not as systematic as Lisa's or Eric's, or as the topic may deserve. And we know that few of us can get to any one of these meetings, let alone several. Fortunately, a number of the conference presentations are posted online, which is a boon for those who can take the time. All best, Ann Okerson ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Bernie Reilly <[log in to unmask]> Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:17:59 +0000 My intent in referencing the Politico article was to the broach the topic of user information in the educational and scholarly publishing realm. Factual errors about who owns what notwithstanding, it seems to me that the collection and use of information about student and faculty research by large commercial entities like Pearson represents a turning point. The Politico report suggests to me that Pearson is using its integration of online learning, course management, training, testing, and publishing platforms, to aggregate -- and monetize -- information about those in academia. While federal regulations strictly limit what Pearson can do with data on K-12 students, there are few restrictions on what they can do with information they gather post-secondary users. I wonder about the potential impact of this on libraries in particular. Traditionally, libraries have erected robust firewalls around circulation data, data about who reads and uses what. With the advent of electronic materials ("E-books: the books that read you.") granular usage data can now be gathered by publishers. While these data are in most instances anonymized, the practice encroaches upon the absolute privacy that researchers once had. Given the degree to which information industry business models depend on monetizing user data, I doubt that this reality is likely to change, even with government regulations. Debate about this may well be raging somewhere out there in the research libraries world. If so, I would be grateful if any of my fellow Liblicense readers could direct me to that venue. Bernie Reilly CRL