Privacy Matters

School Library Media Activities Monthly/Volume XXIII, Number 7/March 2007

The Age of the Patron and Privacy

by Helen R. Adams

Does the age of the patron make a difference in extending privacy rights? The AASL 'Position Statement on the Confidentiality of Library Records" affirms 'The library community recognizes that children and youth have the same rights to privacy as adults." Most ALA policy statements including the Library Bill of Rights interpretations and the ALA Code of Ethics do not distinguish between minor and adult patrons. State library records laws and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) also do not differentiate between younger and older students unless the student is determined to be an adult (defined in state and federal legislation at varying ages of 16, 17, and 18).

Should age be considered when granting privacy rights to students in an elementary library? Here are some questions to consider. Do young children know that they have privacy rights in library media centers, and are they concerned about their privacy? Does it matter if the library media specialist calls out the names of children because they have unreturned library books? Is it a serious breach of privacy for the child if a peer overhears the name of the overdue item? Does it compromise a child's privacy if a teacher assists in locating a student's overdue book? These examples may seem like innocuous situations where a child's right to privacy need not be stringently enforced.

On the other hand, compromising privacy may be a slippery slope. While elementary students may have difficulty remembering to return books or even the titles they checked out, they are worthy of our respect as future citizens. Where will they learn about their rights to privacy in a library unless we begin teaching them now? It is my belief that one of the expectations of privacy for students in a library media center is that all will be granted the right to read and borrow free from scrutiny, regardless of age.

In a practical sense, how can a library media specialist maintain privacy for elementary age library patrons while still teaching them about their responsibility to return borrowed materials? When a book is overdue for several weeks, sending a friendly nonthreatening note home about overdue items including the title of the book, date due, replacement cost, and library media specialist contact information is one way to enlist parent assistance in the return of books and still address privacy concerns. Parents of young children will likely be receptive to this type of gentle reminder.

Many children's lives are very complicated. Their overdue materials may be found in many different places. By obtaining the cooperation of parents, the overdue materials will probably be returned quickly. It is a win-win situation with little loss of privacy for the child and includes a lesson in accountability.

Can an elementary teacher become involved in the hunt for a missing book and still preserve the privacy of the child involved? The answer is yes, although it is very important that the library media specialist communicate to teachers the need to protect the child's privacy to the fullest degree possible by not 'exposing" the titles and corresponding students' names to the entire class. In the majority of states, library records of any age patron are protected by state law. For specifics, review the October 2006 Privacy Matters column, 'Disclosing Student Records."

Here is a manageable strategy for making teachers partners in the search for missing library books and still maintaining student privacy. A list can be sent by the library media specialist to a teacher stating that a number of books are missing and including the names of the children who checked them out. The teacher may then speak discreetly to the children with missing books, help them check their desks or backpacks, check to see if the books were lent to friends, thereby moving the search to other students' desks and backpacks. If not located, a full classroom search may be instituted. If the books are found and returned to the library media center, there is a win-win situation with little loss of confidentiality for those involved.

The library media specialist should take advantage of opportunities to teach elementary students about their rights to privacy and confidentiality in a library. If a student is searching for a particular title and it is not on the shelf, he or she may ask who has checked out the item. The library media specialist can explain that the name of the person who has borrowed the item is private, but the library media specialist will put the item on reserve for the student. By taking this action, the library media specialist is demonstrating that each child has the right to read what he or she chooses and can share that information if they wish. But YOU as the library media specialist will not divulge who has checked out the title being sought.

As library media specialists, our goal is to make the principles of privacy and confidentiality work in a practical way in an library media center. The previous examples demonstrate ways to help young children be responsible in the borrowing of materials and, at the same time, learn how library staff can guard the privacy of those who check out materials. In reality, there are few secrets among elementary children about what they are checking out. Yet, it is in these situations that library media specialists begin to train young children about their right to privacy in a library.

References

American Association of School Librarians. 'Position Statement on the Confidentiality of Library Records." http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/positionstatements/aaslpositionstatementconfidentiality.htm (accessed November 11, 2006).

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