Understanding anonymity -- The new normal -- People you may know -- How do you get to be anonymous? -- Anonymity loves company -- Adversaries -- Anonymity in libraries -- Librarians fight back -- Professional values in practice -- Anonymity and privacy inequalities -- Privacy policies and procedures: a starting point for anonymity -- Anonymity basics -- Anonymity tech -- Anonymity literacy -- For the future -- What does anonymity look like in the library of the future? -- Advocacy -- Education -- Space -- Technology -- Professional development -- Security.
Summary:
Through "Understanding Anonymity," Alison and Talya help readers understand anonymity in our users' broader lives by providing an immersive vision for how anonymity plays out today and how it might continue to shift for the future. Their insight for how anonymity connects with library values centers the discussion in terms of both privacy and equity, recognizing that different users have varying needs for anonymity at distinct points in their lives. From practical policies and procedures to technological interventions and educational instruction, "Anonymity in Libraries" shows how libraries can model anonymity's benefits and liabilities in a changing society. The Tor Project,4 the LibraryBox Project,5 and other initiatives show the promising directions that help ensure privacy while centering anonymity. In "For the Future," Alison and Talya imagine new opportunities for libraries to advocate by standing up when policies or practices threaten individual rights to privacy and anonymity, educate by raising community awareness of the changing natures of privacy and anonymity, and implement spaces and technologies that make accommodations for anonymity while preserving security for staff and users alike.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.