Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

We got a question from a school library...

I was wondering about student privacy when substitutes are in the library. When I started here, subs were able to use the circulation desk to check out material. However, since September we have had one substitute who is also a parent looking up their children’s accounts. We also had another issue with a different substitute looking up material to see what students were checking out. When I found this out it made me uncomfortable and I am no longer allowing subs to circulate materials. I have had some pushback from subs about the sudden limitations. I was thinking that the information would be along the same lines as an adult volunteer. However, I did not know if subs had more privileges to access student accounts because they are district employees. I would like something in writing to reference if admin ever asks.

Should librarians who use student or parent volunteers have them sign a statement on protecting patron privacy? If so, what would the wording look like?

Maybe something like this?

“As a library volunteer, I agree to follow all the policies and practices of the school library including ensuring patron privacy. What patrons check out or research in the library is confidential. I will not tell others, students or adults, who has what materials checked out or comment on what is being checked out. I understand that lack of privacy and confidentiality has a chilling effect on users’ selection, access to, and use of library resources. All users have a right to freely use the library and have their privacy protected. I will let the librarian know if I think I have violated any policies.”

I am a school librarian, and just found out my school district is using student-device monitoring software. The software uses AI to check for searches and content that could indicate consideration of self-harm. I am concerned the software will monitor access to school library content and violate student privacy. What can I do? 

For an Interlibrary Loan Electronic Transmission (whether printed out and included with the item(s) or sent via electronic means) in a K-12 setting, can a student's name (the one ultimately borrowing the item) be used in the "receipt" or notification slip? Should a student's School ID number be used? Can both be used at the same time? Is it taboo to have a student's name in ANY electronic transmission?

Recently a question has come up at our academic library concerning patron privacy and the notification to a patron (usually a student) concerning excessive downloading of content from databases in our collection. Our current practice has been to receive notification from the vendor about perceived illegal downloading. We then ask a member of our library IT team to investigate the situation, based on the information from the vendor. The contact information acquired by that IT staff member is then provided to the e-resource librarian. That librarian then contacts the individual via email, explaining the situation and indicating that such behavior must cease. Once that is done, the librarian notifies the vendor that the situation has been addressed, and there is no need to withhold access to the product from the campus. No personal identification of the user or student is provided to the vendor, nor distributed to anyone else. The question now: Is this process appropriate in resolving the misuse of a database, or does it violate the user’s/student’s privacy rights?