Library Values that Interface with Technology: Public Service Information Professionals, Zotero, and Open Source Software Decision Making
Peter Fernández · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · 2012
Decisions about which software to use are increasingly made by individual public service professionals. This article contextualizes those decisions and their implications within the framework of existing library values such as collaboration, intellectual freedom, and public good. The open-source bibliographic management tool Zotero provides an apt example that clarifies how public service information professionals need to conceptualize their technology decisions. The development model of software has repercussions, both short and long-term, that must be taken into account so that public service information professionals can effectively represent their values and serve their users.