Using mashups

So today I searched for librarian blog postings about privacy, using the Mashup Rollyo to do so (it allows you to create a personalized search engine, "searchroll," by selecting particular Web sites). As I'd expect, there were plenty of results! librarian.net does a good job of tagging posts, so I was able to find all of her privacy-related posts.

I was particularly interested in a few postings about RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). In libraries RFID is used instead of barcodes to tag books. It's a wireless technology that's increasingly popular in many settings, not just libraries (I've heard a lot about it's use in employee badges).

But security and privacy can be a major issue. If security isn't built into the system from the start, then unauthorized scanners could be used to access the tags and even alter them. So, libraries must carefully consider the issues before signing a contract with a vendor. The American Library Association (ALA) has some excellent resources about RFID technology in libraries, including guidelines and a resolution adopted by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee.

I created a searchroll on this topic at Rollyo: RFIDs.