X – On Anonymity & Librarianship

In the Library with a Lead Pipe is one of my favorite blogs. The writing is peer-reviewed, balanced and well-reasoned. The most recent post by Emily Ford is evidence of this:

http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2010/x/

Emily explores the nature of undisclosed publications:

Hiding our identities allows us to break accepted social practice and  there is nothing inherently unethical or wrong with creating a character in Second Life or engaging in gender swapping or other identity experiments online. However, the realm of library professional discourse, i.e. writing critical essays or peer reviewed articles that contribute to the discourse of our profession, is not where this kind of experimentation or use of nondisclosure should occur. Undisclosed publishing can be used to insult, act violently, and lash out in a way that defies our understanding of social contract and accepted norms of professional behavior. It can easily lead down the path of snarky and negative venting that are wholly unproductive.

Read the whole piece and take a look at the comments.