Slashdot Mirror
Anonymous Library Cards An Option?
Ben Ostrowsky writes "On the heels of the possibility of requiring fingerprinting to use library resources, librarians don't like hoarding personally identifiable information; many are keenly aware of privacy concerns. Now it appears that anonymous library cards may be a possibility on the horizon. Tell your librarian you want to be anonymous!" From the article: " You've seen anonymous cash cards already; you may even have received them before. They're better known as gift cards. Using the same principle, libraries can issue a borrower card that uses cash, rather than personal ID information, as collateral. Here's an example: If a privacy-minded user deposits $20 to get an anonymous library card, she can check out The Terror State without identifying herself. Her account balance is temporarily reduced by $15, and when the library checks the CD back in (in good condition), her balance is restored to its original value."
But if your mother was a felon, no wonder she did not work after fingerprints were needed. :P
Trust me, they need no more proof of your geekdom than your ID at Slashdot.
Of course, then they would be proving themselves just as geeky, so it's win-win.
Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
Sigh. We'l => We'll
Good idea, until the person with the "locked" card just gets a new anonymous card...
I, too, have not yet had my coffee.
/flee