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A quick, easy-to-read synthesis of theory, guidelines, and evidence-based research, this book offers timely, practical guidance for library and information professionals who must navigate ethical crises in information privacy and stay on top of emerging privacy trends.Emerging technologies create new concerns about information privacy within library and information organizations, and many information professionals lack guidance on how to navigate the ethical crises that emerge when information privacy and library policy clash. What should we do when a patron leaves something behind? How do we justify filtering internet access while respecting accessibility and privacy? How do we balance new technologies that provide anonymity with the library's need to prevent the illegal use of their facilities?
Library Patrons' Privacy presents clear, conversational, evidence-based guidance on how to navigate these ethical questions in information privacy. Ideas from professional organizations, government entities, scholarly publications, and personal experiences are synthesized into an approachable guide for librarians at all stages of their career. This guide, designed by three experienced LIS scholars and professionals, is a quick and enjoyable read that students and professionals of all levels of technical knowledge and skill will find useful and applicable to their libraries.
List of contents
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Importance of Evidence-Based Practice in Information PolicyPart IGetting Our Boots on the Ground: The Dirty Work of Patron Privacy1
ONEMissing/Unattended Items in the Library
TWOPatron Records and the Anonymous Checkout
THREEPhotography and Video Recording within the Library and Social Media Policy
FOURWhen Escalation Must Result in Calling the Police
Part IILibraries and Basic Computer Privacy63
FIVELooking over Your Shoulder (Literally and Figuratively)
SIXPrivacy and Security in the Virtual Library Environment
Part IIIEmerging Technologies: Where Are We Going (and What Should We Do about It)?87
SEVENTracking Your Web Use
EIGHTHow Public Computer Network Usage May Pose a Threat
NINELetting Your Library Get Stuck in the Dark Web
Glossary139
Additional ResourcesIndex
About the author
Sandra J. Valenti is Assistant Professor in the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University, USA.Brady D. Lund, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Information Science at the University of North Texas, USA. He is the author of several highly cited publications on AI applications in library and information science, including “Chatting about ChatGPT,” “ChatGPT and a New Academic Reality,” and “Exploring the Potential Impact of Artificial Intelligence on International Students in Higher Education.” Brady has published over 100 scholarly articles as well as five books, including Library Patrons’ Privacy: Questions and Answers (Libraries Unlimited, 2022).Matthew Beckstrom is a systems manager at Lewis & Clark Library, Helena, MT, USA, and a frequent presenter at conferences on library technology and privacy.
