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

Abstract

Comprising an online survey of students and interviews with librarians, student opposition to the NICS, and distrust of the Government was revealed.Measurement of pre-existing privacy opinions linked opposition to NICS with concerns about privacy. Students, however, were confident in library data protection practices, although some surprising discrepancies existed between user perceptions and library practices.Libraries successfully protected personal data from intrusion, but showed a certain complacency and reluctance to prioritise data protection that may be illadvised given a climate of increasing surveillance.Librarians are advised to promote institutional privacy awareness as proactive data protection "champions" in order to maintain the current "privilege" they have of user trust.The adaptation of the Westin method for measuring pre-existing privacy concerns proved a more accurate tool than the original and may be of benefit for others undertaking similar research.4

Privacy issues in libraries with online services: attitudes and concerns of academic librarians and university students in Ghana

“…Librarians must see the trust their users (students) place in them as a privilege, and to maintain this privilege, they need to be proactive in championing the cause of their students and facilitating privacy awareness within their institutions. 41 On the basis of the near-unanimity of librarians and students on their privacy attitudes and concerns of the online library context, the hypothesis H1 is confirmed.…”

Participatory Approaches for Designing and Sustaining Privacy-Oriented Library Services

“…In our role as data stewards, members of the Library and Information Science (LIS) professional community have become trusted advocates for privacy and the democratic principle of intellectual freedom that privacy protects (Ard 2016;Anderson 2018). This trust is drawn from a long professional history of offering safe spaces for intellectual freedom underpinned by a commitment to privacy in the pursuit of information (Million and Fisher 1986;Sutlieff and Chelin 2010).…”

Data Protection in UK Library and Information Services: Are We Ready for GDPR?

“…11 In fact, some commentators advocate the opportunity for librarians to raise their profile and garner further public support by using their skills to become 'data protection champions' and defend users' rights to privacy. 12 Despite the apparent commitment to privacy rights amongst librarians, others murmur that this obligation hinders libraries' ability to compete against providers who target and monitor user data to profile behaviour and deliver personalised services. 13 Still others highlight the contradiction between the public's concern for their privacy and the openness with which they share their personal details online.…”