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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2005
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ720348 |
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Table of Contents:
- Should There Be an Expectation of Privacy in the Library? Online Treasures Balas, Janet L. Privacy Public Libraries Computer Security Federal Legislation Internet Librarians Although some people feel that there should be no expectation of privacy in a library because it is a public place, the debate on the library's obligation to protect patron privacy continues. Despite the media attention given to some notorious breaches of privacy (for example, the hacking of Paris Hilton's electronic address book), and the constant warnings to Internet users about phishing scams and other schemes, patrons who use the public computers in libraries seem totally unconcerned about protecting their personal information. Librarians have long felt that it was their responsibility to protect the privacy of their patrons, revealing information about borrowing histories only when compelled to do so by law, however, the events of September 11th and the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act have changed many of the privacy laws. With the PATRIOT Act due to expire and with the emergence of new technologies [i.e., radio frequency identification (RFID)] that offer increased abilities to track borrowed materials, it is important to understand the issues and the effects that these changes may have on the library profession. This brief article offers a description of the many resources available on the topic of library privacy protection, with an emphasis on the implications of RFID technology.