ABSTRACT
Libraries today strive to move beyond proprietary designations of copyright and control even while negotiating with vendors over data privacy and profit-driven proprietary access and sharing restrictions. Librarians find themselves in the position of mediator between technology and user. With the increasing ability to store massive numbers of files on computers for an apparently indefinite period of time, privacy concerns grow more acute. Much of the debate over privacy limits, openness, freedom, and rights rests in the definition of “ownership.” The ethics of being surveilled continues to be of central concern to the librarian community. What is at stake is not just privacy or rights, but the very foundation of access, which is the foundation of information. Long-standing concerns within the library community revolve around the unfortunate reality that patrons are increasingly unempowered by profit-driven or power-driven data collection fueled by powerful analytics.
