Another poll has closed and quite frankly, I was surprised at the results. The poll asked:"How long should a library maintain patron records?" The majority chose - FOREVER. I was surprised for many reasons. First, I wondered if it was really necessary. As long as a patron has returned the material, why would we need this information. Do we need to know that patron A checked out only Clifford books or that patron B checked out Janet Evanovich and Tom Clancy books? Maybe in the short-term this information could be helpful for collection development and book trends, but in the long run, what would it matter? In light of the Patriot act and more judicial action regarding patron records, are we doing our patrons a disservice by saving this information? Many students go to the library and research a variety of topics. Some may be reflective of their current beliefs, others may not. Some, taken out-of-context, could have negative consequences for a patron. Imagine if everyone had access to the library records of any one of our current political candidates: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John McCain. It is easy to imagine how a reporter could take one book off this list and create a controversial story about the candidate. Many librarians and advocacy agencies suggest retaining patron information only as long a necessary (Nolan, 1993). I would agree with this, but what do you think?
Nolan, C. (1993). The confidentiality of interlibrary loan records. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 19, 81-86.
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I think the patron should remain active for a few years following inactivity. As for the patron records, aren't they protected by our code of ethics and the library bill of rights? How could anyone trace the reading material of Obama, Clinton or McCain if their records are private information?
Nikki
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