Recently Asked Questions

Is the library at risk if a teen patron volunteers to share contents of a cell phone?

An adult patron recently called the library and said that her 11-year-old daughter reported being filmed outside the library (parking lot or backyard). The child reported that two teen patrons had been using cell phones to film her. No staff witnessed this, but all of the juveniles involved were known to library staff. The two teens had returned inside the library at the time the call came in, and staff asked them if what was reported was true. Both denied the claims, and one asked to “prove” that it wasn't true by showing the contents of his cellphone video library. Do we put ourselves at risk by allowing a patron (juvenile or otherwise) to show us such content? We can see a variety of ways that this might expose us to risk, but we also understand the teen’s impulse to defend himself.

Additional questions that came up (but maybe too much for a single query): If patrons do film each other without consent on library property, is that a further risk for us? If we were to explicitly state that filming others while on library property is against policy, how could we safely enforce that policy?

Early 2025 has brought changes to stability of certain federal programs, funding, and governance. This instability is creating concern about access to grants, federal programs, and legal frameworks. What can our board do to address this?

I’d like to ask this as generally as I can so that the answers are as applicable as possible, but I’m writing from a small college library in NY, so I’d like to get a sense for myself and my staff about what our rights, obligations and protections for students and patrons are as Librarians in the event of a “visit” or raid by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

We haven’t received guidance from our institution and we’re a small place, but want to be prepared in case our students or staff are targeted.

What are we required to do? What is ICE currently allowed to do on a college campus or in a library? How can we protect our students from these actions by ICE?

I don’t know and wouldn’t ask about a student’s immigration status, but I know for instance that we have graduate assistants and Faculty who are here on visas and who are non-white.

Our organization has for many years now used a “DEI” internship program to bring people from under-represented communities into the library profession. With the new directives coming from the POTUS and various agencies in January 2025, should we stop this program?

You have requested my expedited input regarding the potential impact on ESLN member organizations of the 33 executive orders issued in the first week of the second term of President Donald Trump, which began January 20, 2025.

The nine regional “reference and research library resources” systems comprising the Empire State Library Network serve:

• Chartered public libraries (of all types)
• Public library systems (cooperative, consolidated, confederated)
• School libraries and school library systems (public and private)
• Hospital libraries (public and private)
• Academic libraries (public and private)
• Libraries of educational agencies (public)
• Law libraries (academic, local, state and federal)
• Archives (public and private)
• Museums (public and private)
• Historical Societies
• Prison libraries
• Other “special libraries,” including libraries at religious corporations and even for-profit businesses.

To provide the requested analysis, starting on page 5, this memo arrays each executive order (“EO”) by name and describes the most notable actual or potential impacts on ESLN-served entities (aside from generally applicable impacts). Because the first EO issued in this term of office rescinded eighty prior EOs, those rescinded EOs are also arrayed.

As the content is vast and intricate, a summary of major takeaways precedes the array. Areas of actual or potential high impact and takeaways for ESLN-served entities are highlighted in yellow in both sections.

NOTE: This is a New York State-specific resource.

Thank you for entrusting me with this request.