Only recently have I begun to see critiques of technology through the lens of critical librarianship. It is tempting to believe that searching in our library discovery systems is somehow more neutral because results are ranked by relevance based on an algorithm. But that's far from the case, as many researchers have suggested that algorithms can reproduce and support the same negative stereotyping that occurs in society. Grand Valley State University librarian Matthew Reidsma published a fascinating analysis of bias in library discovery systems and explored some of the biased and offensive search results he found in his library's discovery layer (bit.ly/alreidsma). Whether or not we improve library discovery systems, our patrons are still using online tools that have been shown to be biased. In his TED talk "Beware Online Filter Bubbles" (bit.ly/alpariser), Eli Pariser showed how tools like Google and Facebook personalize what users see and primarily show content that agrees with their worldview. Information scientist Safiya Umoja Noble studied Google search results to show the damage done to young black girls when the top results in a search for "black girls" are highly sexualized (bit.ly/alsnoble). When the internet tools we use provide a partial or distorted view of the world, they influence the attitudes, actions, and self-esteem of the people we serve.
Meredith Farkas, “Never Neutral” (American Libraries, Jan.Feb. 2017)