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ALA’s Voodoo Demographics

Update 5/5/05 11:00 a.m. PT: the survey now requires an ALA login. Btw, it wasn’t me on a cached machine or anything–this came up on the GLBTRT discussion list yesterday, and other folks reported the same hole. I guess ALA monitors the lists and blogs, ay? 😉

ALA is conducting a “demographic” survey that supposedly profiles the ALA membership for marketing purposes. Two problems: first, you can take this survey with any old numbers you type in, defeating the point of gathering member information in the first place. I typed 123456 and took the survey without a problem. Second, the survey doesn’t ask about sexual orientation or transgendered status. Race, gender, age, educational attainment, yes, but not sexual orientation. All of the questions are optional, so why leave off this important question?

Go ahead and take the survey, and when the comment box comes up, please give ALA an opinion or three.

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