“This Survey is Anonymous” : LIS Survey Demographics and Reidentification Risk

Description

Survey research conducted by student and faculty at iSchools as well as by practicing librarians frequently collects enough demographic information to risk easy re-identification of individual participants, especially those with unique job titles or minoritized identities . Despite the assertions of investigators that their survey is anonymous –the collection of recent survey instruments reveals that too often a laundry list of demographics is requested and may be required. This raises concerns about whether these investigators have considered the actual necessity of capturing this information or considered the potential harm as data sharing is increasingly common and may be mandated. Additionally, it suggests an over-reliance on IRB appraisal as a sole source for evaluating downstream harm and re-identification risk. This presentation will demonstrate how recently fielded surveys in LIS over-capture demographic data; will review the data sharing requirements that introduce additional re-identification risks; and serve as a call to action for critical consideration of what counts as “anonymous” in library survey research.