POST: Algorithms and Libraries: A Case for Paying Attention

Amy Wickner (University of Maryland Libraries) has shared a post at Hack Library School entitled “Algorithms and Libraries: A Case for Paying Attention.” In this piece, she provides an overview of recent writing from within and outside the library world on issues of automation and algorithmic bias, including work by Safiya Noble, Matthew Reidsma, and Ian Milligan and Nick Ruest. The post outlines dual roles of librarians in providing access to information through algorithms and proprietary systems:

As librarians, we’re often in the unique position of being both users and designers of tools for mediating access to information. One of the challenges we face lies in recognizing the limits in how our experience as users can inform how we design systems for others to use. Another is in recognizing the power we hold as designers and managers of systems.