Privacy, Libraries, and the Internet: Have the Rules Changed?

Online services like Facebook have made it increasingly easy to share information online. People are sharing everything from interesting webpages to their shopping habits to sensitive personal information. Many worry that such sharing often happens without a full understanding of who is using the information and how they are using it. On the other side are those who simply say Privacy is dead. Libraries are increasingly getting caught up in the debate. Patrons are demanding the convenience and targeted service provided by online services, often without realizing that these conveniences are made possible by harvesting the vast store of personal data that people are sharing. What is to happen to library service? Are libraries to become the last bastion of privacy only to see patrons flock to the new services? Is it possible to preserve the privacy of patrons will providing the kind of services people want in the Internet Age? Who should decide how personal data is used? We\u27ll look at these questions and more