by Jim Craner and Lori Ayre
Do you know the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Misinformation is information that is mistaken -- but it's an honest mistake. Disinformation, on the other hand, is information that is purposely crafted to deceive -- think propaganda or false political rumors.
Our commitment to protecting our patron’s intellectual property is a guiding principle in the ALA Code of Ethics stating that librarians “protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received, and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted." The ALA Code of Ethics was originally adopted in 1939 before MARC records, the integrated library system, and definitely before the Internet. It is much more complicated to protect our patron’s privacy today than it was in 1939. However, it is timely to revisit the issues around patron privacy as we embark on our journey with the new administration. According to the ACLU Trump Memos (http://bit.ly/2gJvdok), and now confirmed by Executive Orders, we are dealing with an Administration that uses religion to justify surveillance, is threatening to deport large numbers of members of our communities, and has redefined accepted definitions of freedom of expression and libel. It is more important than ever to know how to protect our patron’s privacy.