University undergraduate students and library-related privacy issues

Abstract

New technologies increase the ability to capture and retrieve data about library usage patterns and users. Collecting, analyzing, and using patron data, however, may raise concerns among library users about their online privacy and how the data collected might be used

A Content Analysis of Library Vendor Privacy Policies: Do They Meet Our Standards?

“…15 Most students (85%) said online privacy was important or very important to them, and another 10 percent said it was somewhat important. The survey also found that large majorities of students agreed that a university or library 1) should obtain private information only with students' consent (92%); 2) should collect student information only for clearly defined purposes (86%); 3) should never disseminate students' personal information to outside agencies (91%); and 4) should assign appropriate life spans for the retention of student information (74%).…”

‘An absolute prerequisite’: The importance of user privacy and trust in maintaining academic freedom at the library

“…Librarians must be aware and ready to defend user privacy, in order to remain democratic institutions (Byrne, 2004) where freedom of inquiry is unfettered. Additionally, in an age where rapidly improving technology demands ever more personal information (Davies, 1997), and young people are becoming more accustomed to social interaction online, personal information is becoming increasingly commoditised (Reed, 2007), raising questions over whether enough is being done to monitor user awareness and opinions about privacy (Johns and Lawson, 2005).…”

“…This would mean chaos for library administration, and may even jeopardise its very existence. Coombes (2004) and Byrne (2004) Johns and Lawson (2005) here identify a gap in professional knowledge: "to better serve and protect library users, university librarians need a better understanding of undergraduate students" knowledge and perceptions about library-related privacy issues" (p488). The authors" subsequent investigation into opinions and perceptions of American students about online privacy issues, finds that students are concerned, but ill-informed in privacy matters.…”

“…In light of the change of direction in information policy at home (CILIP, 2005a) and abroad (Minow, 2002), vigilance is required in academic libraries to ensure that previously revered library freedoms are not lost in the quest for national security (Caidi and Ross, 2005). Libraries are institutions of democracy that embody human rights (Byrne, 2004) and should lead defence of user privacy (Coombes, 2004;Falk, 2004;Shuler, 2004;Bowers, 2006), about which users may not be well-educated (Johns and Lawson, 2005). User-library trust is strong, but not necessarily deserved (Sturges et al, 2003).…”

Attitude of Foreign Language Learners on Nonverbal Communication and Privacy in Communicative Classes

“…Children may have a wide range of reasons for their reservation depending on their social and cultural context. Even the concept of online privacy issue was proposed by Johns & Lawson (2005). They surveyed 444 learners at Iowa State University who needed library orientation classes to enroll in the university.…”