This paper is a roadmap to a shift of both mindset and practice in staffing academic libraries for privacy. Though the ALA Library Bill of Rights has encoded privacy as a central value since 1939, the reality of protecting privacy in the 21st century information environment is vastly more complicated than it was at that earlier time. In Section 1, we will discuss why privacy in libraries is such a thorny problem at this moment, which might help explain why little has been done so far to address the issues. In Section 2, we will explain why, despite these challenges, achieving meaningful reader privacy is an imperative goal, with a look at the harms currently impacting individual users and the scholarly enterprise collectively. Finally, in Section 3, we will recommend where to go from here.

Read more:
Bettinger, E. C., Bursic, M., & Chandler, A. (2023, June). Disrupting the Digital Status Quo: Why and How to Staff for Privacy in Academic Libraries. Licensing Privacy Project. https://publish.illinois.edu/licensingprivacy/files/2023/06/Whitepaper-on-Privacy-Staffing-Licensing-Privacy.pdf