Technology and the Timeless Ethics of Librarianship

Technology is changing the way that libraries operate, as Coombs and Gambles note, however different the focus. While Coombs describes her experience in working to safeguard patrons' privacy in a digital age, Gambles focuses on the opportunities for libraries using mobile technology. Both, however, point to timeless principles of librarianship that undergird the changes being undertaken by librarians today.

Coombs details the efforts she made to identify and safeguard the information her university library was collecting from its user base of students. It was a time-consuming and painstaking process, as she had to examine each system individually to determine what information was being captured and stored. While some of the information was necessary for library operations--such as whether students were accessing the library from on or off campus--other information, such as social security numbers of students and exact IP addresses where they were logging on, was decidedly not needed.

Coombs was able to de-link identifying information from students, or wash it away altogether, in most systems. However, she discovered that other systems the library used were not under the library's control, and she therefore had to present a proposal to a university administrative office to make the same changes to safeguard students' privacy.

Necessitating these changes by Coombs are the ALA Code of Ethics and the Library Bill of Rights, both of which have been governing librarians' work since 1939. Indeed, while the technology has changed, and will continue to change, the underlying ethos of the profession--including maintaining the privacy of users--will remain the same.

Gambles alludes to this connecting thread in his description of the opportunities for the new Library of Birmingham. He notes that mobile technology--whether phones or tablets--has increased not only in number but also in sophistication and function in a very short amount of time, but the Library of Birmingham is embarking on a new endeavor to exploit this technology to "rewrite the book for public libraries in the 21st century."

Among the changes to be implemented in the new Library of Birmingham are augmented reality, for example users with a mobile device can find their way in the library using both their actual location and a program on their phone that shows where they are and where they need to go. Gambles also notes the largely untapped resource that is librarians: their extensive knowledge is only sporadically put to use, one user at a time. Instead, the Library of Birmingham would use podcasts to create an "iTunes U," where they can reach many more people at a time.

The common thread in Gambles's description is a user-centric focus: all of these changes are being implemented to enhance the user experience. Just as with Coombs's examination of user data, Gambles's focus on the new library of the 21st century underscores the tenets of librarianship agreed upon decades ago: in this case, "providing the highest level of service to all users" (ALA Code of Ethics Artice I).

Although Coombs and Gambles are writing about changes brought on by ever-evolving technology, both are also illustrating the timeless ethics that guide librarians. Whether it is what books they have borrowed or what items they have searched online, users expect and deserve privacy, and the library's mission is to ensure that that privacy is kept. And whether it is a smiling face behind a reference desk or a helpful wayfinder for a user's mobile phone, the librarian's goal is to provide excellent service to users. While technology will always change, the ethics will remain the same.

Adaptive Technology at DCPL

The Worldwide Web is a marvel of technology and has made access to information as simple as a click of a mouse or a stroke on a keyboard--that is, as long as you have no visual, hearing, mental, or physical impairments. For those who fall in this camp, all is not lost, however: HTML coding and  assistive technology allow those with disabilities to access the web. And those who become disabled later in life--that is, who do not learn to use such assistive technologies in a school setting--have an invaluable resource in the public library.

The DC Public Library is at the forefront in offering assistive technology to its users. As the DC regional library for the blind and physically handicapped, it offers braille-print materials and playback machines for audio materials. But, as exhibited by Patrick Timony, Chris Corrigan, and Janice Rosen during a site visit November 7, the DCPL's Adaptive Services Division offers so much more.

As Timony explained, libraries have the mission of bridging the gap between those who have information and those who don't; this becomes more challenging when some patrons have special needs, but the DCPL achieves its mission by offering an array of programs and services for people with mental and physical disabilities.

For example, every day Corrigan teaches a class on how to use the JAWS screen readers available at the library: this software allows computers to read aloud the content of web pages for users with low or no vision. And Rosen, who has worked at DCPL since 1992 as a librarian for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, described the many services for this group: American Sign Language (ASL) classes, ASL interpreting, tactile ASL for the deaf and blind, assistive listening devices and systems in the library, and captioning of all films shown at the library.

However, the services are not just technical, but social: DCPL hosts a monthly book club, a game night, and gaming stations through a partnership with the AbleGamers Foundation, as well as monthly Accessibility Meetups; weekly technology training sessions; and a DIY (Do it Yourself) Fair for people with and without disabilities. By bringing together vendors and users in this community, the library facilitates an ongoing conversation about the users' needs, and how technology can be developed to address them.

This last example illustrates what the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) calls essential in achieving web accessibility for all: collaboration among the different components. That is, in order for a site to be web accessible, the content of the site--both the words and images and the markup language that structures it, the users, developers, authors, evaluators, and technology all must work together. Another example: the JAWS screen reader program. As explained by Corrigan, this software relies on HTML code to structure the web page content in headers and supply alternative text for images and links. If the author of the page has done his or her part in the HTML code, and the user knows how to use the software, the screen reader will voice the headings and subheadings on the page and allow the user to navigate the site with keyboard commands.

Corrigan cited the sobering statistic that 90% of blind people who can read braille are employed, while 70% of blind people who cannot read braille are unemployed. This fact makes all the clearer the importance of technology--whether low-tech ASL or braille or hi-tech JAWS readers--in helping bridge the gap among the disabled between those who can work and those who cannot. But as the WAI points out, technology is not the only answer. It is people working together: users, authors, developers, and evaluators, who build and use this technology and share successes. And the DCPL is doing its part on all fronts.

                                                              Photo: Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center