I am grateful that Tenn-Share is thinking about new ways improve Tennessee libraries, but I have reservations about Gale Analytics.

I would ask whether the info provided by this product is not readily available elsewhere at no cost; e.g., the census. Do we need to pay Gale to tell us which neighborhoods are economically depressed? Are we paying to get the addresses of people that don't have library cards so we can send them unwanted mail?

I find the surveillance capitalism practiced by Experian unethical (https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/04/experians-credit-freeze-security-is-still-a-joke/). As a
patron, I wouldn't feel comfortable knowing my library was using software like this. (Caveat: maybe they are?) The data they gather for 'marketing' purposes is also used to discriminate (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-redlining-investigation-digital-racist-practices/). Would an undocumented person want to sign up for the library card if they knew the library was using this product?

During the webinar the presenter said only your library sees the data, but this is impossible because you give Gale an export of your patron database. They process it on their servers. What does Gale do with this info? What about the third parties Gale is using? If you access the dashboard via a web portal, that means it lives on their servers. My questions are not rhetorical. Has anyone done a close reading of their privacy policy, or asked about their data security practices?

In other states, use of this software has triggered Grand Jury investigations (https://ldhconsultingservices.com/data-analytics-your-library-an-executive-summary-of-the-santa-cruz-report/).

If you are considering purchasing this software, you should ask specifically what need this product fulfills, and if there is another way to fulfill that need. The info provided by this service that can't be found elsewhere is thin, and the methods used to extract that info
are unethical.

- Bryan

________________________________________
From: Tennessee Library Association and other Tennessee librarians <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Tenn-Share Executive Director <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 9, 2021 7:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Gale Analytics Pricing Request

Attention: This email originated from a source external to Metro Government. Please exercise caution when opening any attachments or links from external sources.

We had a great turnout for our informational webinar about a potential purchasing group for Gale Analytics. A recording of that session can be found here<https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/zc__Z29zw7Vecbv4a7houybUJtUVMa9-2AAUS6QXqq6zfy8sEpvlPs-RdROyg_Jr.LcDma8XYC8NcXKFy>, as well as a handout here<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eARez24GMRbonMZxdjr0Vrr9waFWJsWB/view?usp=sharing>.

It seems like a really powerful data resource with a lot of valuable applications for public libraries.

If your public library is interested in receiving discounted consortial pricing information for this product, please complete this form <https://forms.gle/zKtm1ns3YPmxcNh97> before 12/22/21. This is not a commitment to subscribe, but the more interest we have, the better able we are to negotiate for accessible pricing.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!

Best,

Ari Baker<http://www.linkedin.com/in/aribaker>
Executive Director
Tenn-Share, A Tennessee Library Consortium
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
615-669-8670
Pronouns: they, them, theirs
P.O. Box 691 • Alcoa, TN 37701
http://Tenn-Share.org

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