Patricia B. Ball is currently the branch manager of the Joanne P. Stratton Library, a branch of the Cobb County Public Library System in Marietta, Georgia a part of Metro Atlanta. She has been a public librarian for many years. She holds a Masters of Media Technology from Alabama A&M University, Masters of Library Science from Florida State University and a Ph.D. from University of Pittsburgh. She has taught library courses at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, Shorter College, College Park, Georgia and Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia. She has also held positions with Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Her motto is to provide library services that impact and change lives. She has a passion for services to special populations, digital literacy, the digital divide and technology. These issues are relevant to privacy and surveillance. She is excited about being accepted into the Library Freedom Project Cohort so that she can help guide her community in protecting their privacy as they engage online. She recognizes the need for the public to be informed concerning issues related to data mining, privacy and about personal data that is collected and stored as they engage online. It will not only help the public but also her colleagues in better understanding issues concerning privacy and surveillance.
