Tracking transparency: an exploratory review of Florida academic library privacy policies

Abstract

Purpose Building on past studies of library privacy policies, this review looks at how privacy information is shared at universities and colleges in the state of Florida. Beyond the question of whether a library-specific privacy policy exists, this review evaluates what is covered in the policies – whether topics such as how student data is stored, retained, de-identified and disposed of are broached in the statements, and whether specific data sets covering instruction, reference and surveillance are mentioned. The purpose of this study is to open the door to directed exploration into student awareness of privacy policies and spark conversation about positionality of libraries regarding privacy. Design/methodology/approach This review was done using a cross-sectional study design through observation of public-facing library privacy policies of higher education institutions in Florida. Findings Findings include that the majority of Florida academic libraries do not have a public-facing privacy policy. Only 15 out of the 70 schools reviewed had one. A large portion of those came from doctoral universities with associate’s colleges having none, and baccalaureate/associate’s colleges having only two. The policies that were in place tended to be institution-centered rather than patron-centered. Most categories of listed data collected were in the area of collections, website or computer usage. Originality/value The value of this review is that it adds to the literature studying privacy policies in academic libraries. Going forward, this research could address statewide practice in privacy policies as well as helping to lay pathways for working with students and other library patrons to gauge their interests and concerns about privacy.

Guest editorial: The datafication of student life in higher education: privacy problems and paths forward

“…The application of HIPS reducedbut did not eliminatethe risk of reidentifying a student. Mann et al (2023) "Tracking transparency: an exploratory review of Florida academic library privacy policies", Information and Learning Sciences, doi: 10.1108/ILS-04-2023-0038:…”

“…Mann et al (2023) “Tracking transparency: an exploratory review of Florida academic library privacy policies”, Information and Learning Sciences , doi: 10.1108/ILS-04-2023-0038:…”

“…In the USA, privacy policies in academic libraries in colleges and universities are informed by long-standing professional values to protect the intellectual freedom of library users – students. But as Mann et al (2023) note in their article, “there is a deep tension between the professional value of privacy in librarianship and the ubiquitous collection of data and learning analytics frequently required from higher education to show value.” Their study focuses on the state of Florida and 70 of its public and private higher institutions (excluding medical, law, or faith-based institutions) to investigate the presence and content of library privacy policies. The found that only 15 of the studied institutions presented a “separate library webpage with policy-oriented text,” and institutions with a research focus were more likely to have such pages.…”

“…Each article uniquely presents pragmatic insights into how practitioners, researchers, administrators and even technologists could affect positive change in their uses of educational technologies and student data to either reduce privacy concerns or enhance privacy protections. The articles suggest frameworks for informing data practices (Von Winckelmann, 2023), the power of existing governance norms to fill governance gaps (Sanfilippo et al , 2023), a clear call to action to create and update privacy policies in response to sociotechnical changes (Mann et al , 2023), advancements in privacy-protecting technologies that support research endeavors (Holmes et al , 2023), new ways of thinking about student behaviors and attitudes toward learning technologies (Greenhalgh et al , 2023) and a concrete definition and actionable conceptualizations of trust that can drive how LA can be implemented in trustworthy ways. There is always room for theorizing and philosophizing about the concept of privacy and its value – especially in relation to sociotechnical change – but privacy must also be practiced.…”