Teacher Librarians: Champions for Privacy

The privacy and dignity of our citizens are being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible steps. Taken individually, each step may be of little consequence. But when viewed as a whole, there begins to emerge a society quite unlike any we have seen. Justice William O. Douglas

Policy statements from IFLA, ALA, and CLA all strongly support the intellectual freedoms of patrons of full access to information and protection of patron privacy. For the teacher librarian, these directives can present dilemmas when it comes to protecting student rights and privacy because of the two facets of our professional role – that of a teacher and a librarian.

It is clear from an exploration of the research that the teacher librarian needs to gather knowledge that extends beyond the rhetoric of library policy statements into the realities of daily practice. She needs to become aware of Canadian privacy laws, refer to her District's privacy policies and perhaps even explore the strength of her stand on library privacy with regards to her union's support. The teacher librarian should also discuss her unique position as a supporter of student privacy with the building's school’s administrator. Starting with general beliefs and moving towards specific scenarios, the administrator and teacher librarian should work together to establish a common protocol for privacy in the school library – hopefully one which helps her to reconcile her beliefs. It is important to develop these critical understandings about confidentiality and to communicate them to all library staff so that routines be established to respect and safeguard student privacy. For example, what actions are taken when:

A student accesses an inappropriate site?
A parent calls and wants to know the titles of Johnny’s lost books?
A staff member wants to access patron records to see which books their students are reading?
An administrator asks for the books Susan has checked out because she is transferring schools?
The School Board Office asks for a patron’s computer records to confirm the sender of a threatening message on a social networking site?
The Maintenance Department arrives to install a security camera near the circulation desk?
A student helper offers to print and distribute the overdue lists?

Despite establishing the need for privacy within the secondary school library setting, it is likely that the teacher librarian will still continue to wrestle with ethics and her own conscience, and sometimes demonstrate true determination as she steps in to protect student privacy rights. This commitment can be shared with the students who may not be aware of their library rights. In The Age of the Patron: Privacy for Middle and High School Students , Adams (2007) states that “when we allow middle and high school students to read, research, and check out materials on a wide range of topics without comment as well as share that information with others, we are honoring the twin precepts of privacy and confidentiality in libraries. It is important that teacher librarians provide an atmosphere where students feel comfortable to make inquiries about sensitive subjects, knowing that the library staff will respect and guard their privacy." Although I had a good understanding of intellectual freedom, I had not recognized the need for instructing students about their rights until I explored a number of articles on the subject (see the reading list below). I now strongly echo Adam’s stance that, “in addition to protecting minors' rights to privacy in a library setting, the library media specialist should teach students how to guard their own privacy in their physical daily lives as well as online. This instruction may be a part of the information and technology literacy curriculum.”

Whether sharing cautions about social networking sites such as Facebook, (insert link here) the dangers of sharing personal information online through chat rooms, MSN or blogs, teaching Internet safety, or encouraging the reading of privacy policies and terms of use, teacher librarians are ideally situated to help students become more informed about privacy issues heightened by today's commonplace use of technology. Students need to learn how information is digitally tracked, to learn about cookies, IP address logs, and how their digital footprint may be used by third party access. They need to become aware of their personal rights, learn how to respect the rights of others, know the actions to take to safeguard their personal privacy, and how to address any privacy concerns they may encounter. Teacher librarians can become the face of intellectual freedom in the school and demonstrate the importance of privacy issues by incorporating them into library information technology lessons, offering presentations to staff, students and parents, and by modelling a respect for privacy themselves.

As my classmate Chris so eloquently pointed out in the Web CT discussion of this topic, the paradox exists that as teacher librarians champion for student privacy rights, the same students may be sharing highly personal aspects of their lives with virtual strangers via social networking sites. However, this is not a reason for us to disregard the importance of privacy, and abdicate this tenet of our professional library responsibilities, especially in this electronic age when it seems little remains private. Those who don’t believe me regarding the erosion of privacy, can try Googling their own names and see what information is revealed. If education's goal is to assist the development of our students into responsible democratic citizens, then teacher librarians need to ensure they have opportunities to learn about and advocate for their rights to privacy and confidentiality.


Additonal Recommended Readings about Privacy.
(Note that authorized database access may be required for access.)

Balas, J. (2007, June). I'm a librarian, not a lawyer! Computers in Libraries, 27(6), 34-36. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1287362971).

Bernstein, J. (2007, June). Train employees and official to be ready for privacy challenges. Computers in Libraries, 27(6), 6-8+. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1287362911)

Carefoot, L. (2003, April). Student access to the school library. Teacher Librarian, 30(4), 69- 71.

Coombs, K. A. (2005, June). Protecting user privacy in the age of digital libraries. Computers in Libraries, 25(6), 16-20.

Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2006, October). Want to be my "friend"? What you need to know about social technologies. Teacher Librarian. 34(1), 55-58.

Riehl, D. (2007). Students’ privacy rights in school libraries: Balancing principles, ethics and practices. School Libraries in Canada, 25(3). Retrieved online March 13, 2009, from http://www.cla.ca/casl/slic/262studentsprivacyrights.html.

Thomson, V. ( 2004) Children's rights in the library. School Libraries in Canada, 24(4). Retrieved online March 14, 2009, from http://www.cla.ca/casl/slic/244childrensrights.html




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