Privacy
Course
What Do Privacy & Confidentiality Mean? [5:26]
The difference between privacy and confidentiality and how both concepts apply to the school library.
The American Library Association and The American Association of School Librarians have policy statements demonstrating the profession's strong committement to protecting the privacy of library users and so for us that means students using our school libraries. These statements include the ALA Code of Ethics. Article 3 is specific to privacy, it states, "We protect each library users' right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted." AASL's position statement on the confidentiality of library records is really more closely aligned to privacy in the school library. It states, "The library community recognizes that children and youth have the same rights to privacy as adults." However, as you will learn in this workshop, the right of privacy for minors is not always supported by state and federal laws.
Students have two expectations of privacy when using school libraries. The first is that all students will be given the right to read, borrow and use electronic resources without scrutiny or monitoring regardless of age. Students must feel confident that their privacy will be respected by the library staff. Here's an example: if I observe a student surreptitiously reading a book on an LGBT topic in the library, but I don't comment or tell anyone else, I'm protecting that student's privacy. The second expectation is the right to seek information on topics being researched and have those remain private. Here's another example: several years ago, a school counselor asked me to obtain a book on abortion. I surmised it was for a student she was counseling, I ordered the book on interlibrary loan, delivered it and never talked about the book or its topic with anyone. I was protecting the confidentiality of even that unnamed student.
School libraries provide both curricular and recreational resources. School librarians facilitate access to information and help students locate and use what they need. We do not monitor what they are doing or report or gossip about the topics of their investigation. Whatever happens if students' research and reading choices are monitored closely? What happens with those students? Will they use the library? The answer is, first, their First Amendment right to receive information in school libraries is violated and there will be more information on disconnection between the First Amendment and privacy in another lesson in this workshop. The other result of closely scrutinizing students using the library is that they will stop using the library unless forced to do so for an assignment. Those students having home Internet access can easily find resources elsewhere. However, economically deprived students, those with no computer at home or Internet connection, students without transportation or young students, for them the school library is often their only source of information, so safeguarding students' privacy is crucial and school librarians are the guardians of students' privacy.
Lesson 1 defines and discusses the meaning of privacy and confidentiality and how the terms differ. Adams provides definitions, examples, and suggested links to related documents, such as ALA's statement on privacy.
The terms privacy and confidentiality are easily confused, but it is important to understand the difference between the terms and how they apply in the school library. Throughout this workshop, additional important terms are defined. Create a chart in which you will define and describe the important terms and collect links to important documents. For example:
Privacy |
Right to read/research without being observed/questioned |
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/privacy/ |
Confidentiality |
||
|
As you watch other lessons in this workshop, add new terms, ideas, and examples to this chart as they are presented.
MLA Citation
Collins, Karla. "Privacy: Identify Key Terms." School Library Connection, November 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1979852?learningModuleId=1979860&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2136330
Additional Resources
About the Author
Helen R. Adams, MLS, is an online senior lecturer for Antioch University-Seattle in the areas of intellectual freedom, privacy, ethics, and copyright. A Wisconsin resident, she formerly worked as a school librarian and served as president of AASL. She is chair of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and a member of the AASL Knowledge Quest Advisory Board. She authored Protecting Intellectual Freedom and Privacy in Your School Library (Libraries Unlimited 2013) and co-contributed a chapter on intellectual freedom to the second edition of The Many Faces of School Library Leadership (Libraries Unlimited 2017).
MLA Citation
Adams, Helen R. "Privacy. What Do Privacy & Confidentiality Mean? [5:26]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, September 2015, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1979852?learningModuleId=1979860&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1979852?learningModuleId=1979860&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 1979852