Skip to Main Content

Faculty & Staff: Privacy in Libraries

These pages explore the history of library privacy advocacy and how it informs current challenges faced by North Carolina libraries, particularly in response to legislation like the Parent’s Bill of Rights. By examining past privacy defenders and their st

Patron Checkout History Privacy

 

Privacy PowerPoint References List

The Ethical Tightrope: Balancing Library Values & NC's Parent's Bill of Rights Patron Privacy Challenges

Explore the complexities of balancing library values with the realities of new legal challenges in this recorded presentation by Allison Sills, Instructional Librarian at Central Carolina Community College. Delve into the history of patron privacy in libraries, learn how laws and government surveillance have influenced policies over time, and understand the ethical dilemmas librarians face today, especially in light of North Carolina’s Parents Bill of Rights. The presentation covers the American Library Association’s recommendations on privacy, the importance of data minimization, and practical strategies to protect patron confidentiality while upholding the mission of intellectual freedom and trust.

For more information, please read this article by Allison Sills in College and Research Libraries News.

The Ethical Tightrope: Navigating Library Values in the Face of the Parents’ Bill of Rights and Patron Privacy Challenges

Update! 

Within this presentation, I mention an Arkansas Law that was blocked by a federal judge and would be adjudicated in late 2024.  In December 2024, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks agreed that parts of Arkansas' Act 372 of 2023 violated 18 plantiffs' First Amendment rights.  Brooks permanently blocked parts of the law that would make the selling (for bookseller vendors) and lending (for librarians) of books deemed harmful to minors a criminal offense that could land accused persons in jail.

"If the General Assembly's purpose in passing Section 1 was to protect younger minors from accessing inappropriate sexual content in libraries and bookstores, the law will only achieve that end at the expense of everyone else's First Amendment Rights.... The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for younger children and segregate or discard the rest."

1. "Arkansas Book-Banning Law Declared Unconstitutional." American Libraries, March/April 2025, p. 6,  https://www.ala.org/news/2024/12/arkansas-book-banning-law-declared-unconstitutional#:~:text=The%20US%20District%20Court%20for,and%20permanently%20enjoined%20its%20enforcement.