Resources

Educate yourself on how libraries can protect the privacy of online users.

Librarians and library workers can be the privacy experts in their communities.

Tools to Protect User Privacy: Technologies and practices users can employ to protect their online privacy.
Guidelines & Checklists for Libraries: Privacy guidelines, checklists, and other resources to assist librarians, libraries, schools and vendors develop best practices for online privacy.
Sample Policies & Documents: Samples of privacy policies and other documents to give you ideas on how to get started.
HTTPS & Let’s Encrypt: Resources on using HTTPS and Let’s Encrypt on library websites and servers.
Students & Minors: Selected resources on students’ and minors’ privacy including federal laws, scholarly articles, standards and principles, news and viewpoints, and legislative outlook.
Presentations & Webinars: Recent presentations and webinars on privacy and libraries.
Privacy Training & Education for Librarians: Privacy curricula and training resources on privacy and libraries.

Programs

Check out the Programs section of this website for information about hosting events and activities to raise awareness and engage library users on privacy issues.

The Conflict of Access and Privacy in the Right to Be Forgotten Virginia Dressler
Privacy and access are two important elements in librarianship that we hold dear- Both concepts are prominent in ALA’s Code of Ethics, but what happens when access and privacy collide?
Adventures of an eResources Librarian – Thinking About and Teaching Privacy Every Day, Part One Stacy Tomaszewski
A big part of the job of an Electronic Resources Librarian in a public library is guiding users through how to use our resources – that includes helping them take control of their own privacy.
Overview of two new ALA privacy-related resolutions Virginia Dressler
Overview of newly passed ALA resolutions, “Resolution on the Surveillance of Library Users Through Behavioral Tracking” and “Resolution in Opposition to Facial Recognition Software in Libraries”
Book review of Library Privacy Policies Virginia Dressler
A book review of the 2020 Library Privacy Policies by Jason Vaughan. The book includes a great breakdown of how data is regularly collected and used in a number of different systems, many of which are routinely used in libraries (web servers, virtual reference tracking systems, patron records, etc.). Vaughan also outlines how this data can be used and shared outside of the intended purpose, serving as an important reminder of how many inlets and collection points in data collecting.
California Privacy Law – CCPA and Prop 24 Stacy Tomaszewski
California currently leads the country in considering data privacy and the steps that should be taken to protect it. Two recent laws stand out – The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020. Here I’d like to make an effort to provide an explanation of how the two acts work together.