Archive for the ‘Intellectual Freedom’ Category
I was recently asked to provide my thoughts on cultural diversity and collection development for under-represented communities, which is kind of like asking an Amish person how to use a computer.
But since I was being graded on my response, I had to give it the old graduate school try.
Information wants to be free. It wants to be freely sought out, expressed, and received. In fact, the United Nations has declared that humans have a right to seek, receive and impart information. While the First Amendment grants us freedom of expression, and the Freedom of Information Act gives us limited access to government data, the right to seek out and receive information is not guaranteed by the Constitution, even when the information in question happens to be your name or Social Security number.
But don’t take my word for it; just call AT&T and ask them questions like, “How do you use my personal information? Who else have you disclosed this information to?” Let me know how they respond.