Library analytics as moral dilemmas for academic librarians

Doty, Philip

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102141

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Makerspaces often contain myriad technologies that raise surveillance concerns which compound racialized and gendered elements of these spaces (Melo & Nichols, 2020). Surveillance tech should perhaps be a greater focus in critical library literature because public libraries are intricately tied to the state (e.g., for funding) while school, academic, and some special libraries are tied to educational institutions that utilize analytics and other programs which have been shown to digitally exacerbate inequities (Doty, 2020; Raber, 2003). As Nunn (2020) argues, libraries are institutions that preserve—but also have the capacity to resist—technocapitalist injustice.…”

Section: Surveillance In the Librarymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As modeled by activist organizations such as The Library Freedom Project ( Library Freedom , 2021) and movements such as the Cop‐Free Library Movement (Fassler & Ventura, 2021), library scholars and workers should consider how surveillance tech intersects with police presences in libraries and what alternatives to digital and on‐site policing exist. Further, as literature on surveillance tech uncovers (sometimes) unknown dimensions of seemingly benign technologies, library scholars and practitioners may also more deeply interrogate the ethical, moral, and vocational quandaries that come with libraries' relationship to tracking patrons and their actions (Buschman, 2018; Doty, 2020).…”

Section: Addressing Surveillance Within and Outside Of The Libarymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Asher (2017) provides a strong list of specific, actionable recommendations; Havelka & Lerski (2017) an especially comprehensive approach; Hess et al (2015) a case study; and Hinchcliffe & Asher (2014) a video presentation. Some of the more salient recommendations (Doty, 2020) include: Allowing patrons to use opt in/opt out techniques for data collection and integration related to the use of library services Identifying and making explicit specific plans for the analysis and use of all data collected about patrons and their behaviors Development of worst‐case scenarios if libraries' data about patrons is accidentally or maliciously revealed Records retention schedules and other explicit, specific, and actionable strategies for the timely destruction of data Provision of information literacy courses to libraries' constituents, especially about general practices of digital hygiene and how to identify and protect oneself from asymmetries of power, especially online Programs related to surveillance, intellectual autonomy and freedom, privacy, free expression, and the role of libraries in protecting information about patrons Solicitation of informed consent for data collection, storage, and integration Programs emphasizing design and implementation of usability principles for libraries' surveillance, privacy, and data statements Consideration of eliminating transaction‐specific data that can be linked to specific patrons Insisting on using only those vendors and licenses that limit the sharing of data about patrons' use of copyrighted digital material, databases, and other library resources. This list is not comprehensive, but it indicates some of the strategies that librarians could or currently use to protect information about patrons, thereby resisting the surveillant assemblage and maintaining their commitment to the highest principles of ethical and critical librarianship.…”

Section: Addressing Surveillance Within and Outside Of The Libarymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Library/Surveillance Interface

Floegel

Doty

2021

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Tech

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Few topics are more often discussed than surveillance, particularly in the context of surveillance technologies that reflect structural inequities. There is space, however, to bring more discussion of surveillance tech into the library literature. At the same time, literature on digital surveillance and associated systems such as Big Data, surveillance capitalism, and platform capitalism often discuss these phenomena as if they are novel rather than iterations of longstanding inequitable circumstances. We propose that a dialogue between surveillance literature and critical library literature will benefit both areas: theories from the surveillance domain can strengthen examinations of structural oppression in libraries while theories from critical library literature can strengthen acknowledgment of surveillance techs' historical roots. Moreover, overlap exists between concepts used in surveillance and library literature, including concerns about neutrality and classification practices. Therefore, after reviewing surveillance theories and their applicability to libraries, we demonstrate how these scholarly areas may strengthen each other, with three major consequences: (a) moving library literature beyond considerations of the panopticon in favor of the surveillant assemblage; (b) recognizing that surveillance tech is a hyper-visible form of historical oppression; and (c) acknowledging that the library ethos is critical to any fight for justice within information science.

show abstract

Section: Surveillance In the Librarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Addressing Surveillance Within and Outside Of The Libarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Addressing Surveillance Within and Outside Of The Libarymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Library/Surveillance Interface

Floegel

Doty

2021

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Tech

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many theories of surveillance provide insight into contemporary life (e.g., Doty, 2020a; Galic, Timan, & Koops, 2017; Lyon, 2006; Lyon, 2018; Zuboff, 2019), especially in ways that can inform understanding of “smart homes” and the oxymorons that are the focus of this paper. While space constraints disallow closer looks at such theories, many are useful to this analysis.…”

Section: Laying the Foundationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxymorons of privacy and surveillance in “smart homes”

Doty

2020

Proc Assoc Inf Sci Technol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Surveillance is an important element of contemporary society. To understand current surveillance and its implications for privacy, this paper contributes to theory by identifying three oxymorons (apparent paradoxes) related to privacy and surveillance in the “smart home.” After discussing how “smart homes” are telling examples of the general privacy paradox (only an apparent paradox), the paper examines two related oxymorons: what I term the oxymoron of the surveillance of care and the oxymoron of inconvenient seamlessness. They are drawn from empirical, historical, and conceptual investigations of users' attitudes and behaviors. The paper identifies defining differences between automated and “smart homes,” the complexity of understanding implications for privacy and surveillance of such homes, and how empirical studies of attitudes about and behavior related to “smart homes” can inform theory. The paper is partially grounded in feminist and historical research about the home, individual and family life, and consideration of contemporary surveillance theories. Carefully examining oxymorons about surveillance and privacy is key to our understanding and to our scholarly and political action, showing the continuing need for critical surveillance and privacy studies.

show abstract