ITEM NUMBER: 4.30 a-b
CHAPTER 4: Library
Statements
CODE: Policy
COMPUTER ID: LS-ST-1
Title: Confidentiality of Library Records
Effective Date: 11-24-86
Authorized By: Library Board of Trustees
Date of Last Review: 7-2013
Policy concerning Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information about
Library Users
"In a library (physical or virtual), the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without
having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others. Confidentiality
exists when a library is in possession of personally identifiable information about users
and keeps that information private on their behalf" (Privacy: An Interpretation of the
Library Bill of Rights).
The ethical responsibilities of librarians, as well as statutes in most states and the
District of Columbia, protect the privacy of library users. Confidentiality extends to
"information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or
transmitted" (ALA Code of Ethics
), and includes, but is not limited to, database search
records, reference interviews, circulation records, interlibrary loan records and other
personally identifiable uses of library materials, facilities, or services.
The First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech and of the press requires that
the corresponding rights to hear what is spoken and read what is written be preserved,
free from fear of government intrusion, intimidation, or reprisal. The American Library
Association reaffirms its opposition to "any use of governmental prerogatives that lead
to the intimidation of individuals or groups and discourages them from exercising the
right of free expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution"
and "encourages resistance to such abuse of governmental power . . ." (ALA Policy
53.4). In seeking access or in the pursuit of information, confidentiality is the primary
means of providing the privacy that will free the individual from fear of intimidation or
retaliation.
The American Library Association regularly receives reports of visits by agents of
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to libraries, asking for personally
identifiable information about library users. These visits, whether under the rubric of
simply informing libraries of agency concerns or for some other reason, reflect an
insensitivity to the legal and ethical bases for confidentiality, and the role it plays in the
preservation of First Amendment
rights, rights also extended to foreign nationals while
in the United States. The government's interest in library use reflects a dangerous and
fallacious equation of what a person reads with what that person believes or how that
person is likely to behave. Such a presumption can and does threaten the freedom of
access to information. It also is a threat to a crucial aspect of First Amendment rights:
ITEM NUMBER: 4.30 b
that freedom of speech and of the press include the freedom to hold, disseminate and
receive unpopular, minority, extreme, or even dangerous ideas.
The American Library Association recognizes that law enforcement agencies and
officers may occasionally believe that library records contain information that would be
helpful to the investigation of criminal activity. The American judicial system provides
the mechanism for seeking release of such confidential records: a court order, following
a showing of good cause based on specific facts, by a court of competent jurisdiction.
1
The American Library Association also recognizes that, under limited circumstances,
access to certain information might be restricted due to a legitimate national security
concern. However, there has been no showing of a plausible probability that national
security will be compromised by any use made of unclassified information available in
libraries. Access to this unclassified information should be handled no differently than
access to any other information. Therefore, libraries and librarians have a legal and
ethical responsibility to protect the confidentiality of all library users, including foreign
nationals.
Libraries are one of the great bulwarks of democracy. They are living embodiments of
the First Amendment because their collections include voices of dissent as well as
assent. Libraries are impartial resources providing information on all points of view,
available to all persons regardless of origin, age, background, or views. The role of
libraries as such a resource must not be compromised by an erosion of the privacy
rights of library users.
1 See Confidentiality and Coping With Law Enforcement Inquiries: Guidelines for the
Library and its Staff, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, available on the Web at
http://www.ala.org/oif/ifissues
.
Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council; amended June 30, 2004.
[ISBN 8389-7554-2]
Also See: Chapter 4, ITEM NUMBER: 4.31 a-e; 4.30 a-b
CHAPTER 4: Library
Statements
CODE: Policy
COMPUTER ID: LS-ST-1
Title: Confidentiality of Library Records
Effective Date: 11-24-86
Authorized By: Library Board of Trustees
Date of Last Review: 7-2013
Policy concerning Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information about
Library Users
"In a library (physical or virtual), the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without
having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others. Confidentiality
exists when a library is in possession of personally identifiable information about users
and keeps that information private on their behalf" (Privacy: An Interpretation of the
Library Bill of Rights).
The ethical responsibilities of librarians, as well as statutes in most states and the
District of Columbia, protect the privacy of library users. Confidentiality extends to
"information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or
transmitted" (ALA Code of Ethics
), and includes, but is not limited to, database search
records, reference interviews, circulation records, interlibrary loan records and other
personally identifiable uses of library materials, facilities, or services.
The First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech and of the press requires that
the corresponding rights to hear what is spoken and read what is written be preserved,
free from fear of government intrusion, intimidation, or reprisal. The American Library
Association reaffirms its opposition to "any use of governmental prerogatives that lead
to the intimidation of individuals or groups and discourages them from exercising the
right of free expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution"
and "encourages resistance to such abuse of governmental power . . ." (ALA Policy
53.4). In seeking access or in the pursuit of information, confidentiality is the primary
means of providing the privacy that will free the individual from fear of intimidation or
retaliation.
The American Library Association regularly receives reports of visits by agents of
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to libraries, asking for personally
identifiable information about library users. These visits, whether under the rubric of
simply informing libraries of agency concerns or for some other reason, reflect an
insensitivity to the legal and ethical bases for confidentiality, and the role it plays in the
preservation of First Amendment
rights, rights also extended to foreign nationals while
in the United States. The government's interest in library use reflects a dangerous and
fallacious equation of what a person reads with what that person believes or how that
person is likely to behave. Such a presumption can and does threaten the freedom of
access to information. It also is a threat to a crucial aspect of First Amendment rights:
ITEM NUMBER: 4.30 b
that freedom of speech and of the press include the freedom to hold, disseminate and
receive unpopular, minority, extreme, or even dangerous ideas.
The American Library Association recognizes that law enforcement agencies and
officers may occasionally believe that library records contain information that would be
helpful to the investigation of criminal activity. The American judicial system provides
the mechanism for seeking release of such confidential records: a court order, following
a showing of good cause based on specific facts, by a court of competent jurisdiction.
1
The American Library Association also recognizes that, under limited circumstances,
access to certain information might be restricted due to a legitimate national security
concern. However, there has been no showing of a plausible probability that national
security will be compromised by any use made of unclassified information available in
libraries. Access to this unclassified information should be handled no differently than
access to any other information. Therefore, libraries and librarians have a legal and
ethical responsibility to protect the confidentiality of all library users, including foreign
nationals.
Libraries are one of the great bulwarks of democracy. They are living embodiments of
the First Amendment because their collections include voices of dissent as well as
assent. Libraries are impartial resources providing information on all points of view,
available to all persons regardless of origin, age, background, or views. The role of
libraries as such a resource must not be compromised by an erosion of the privacy
rights of library users.
1 See Confidentiality and Coping With Law Enforcement Inquiries: Guidelines for the
Library and its Staff, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, available on the Web at
http://www.ala.org/oif/ifissues
.
Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council; amended June 30, 2004.
[ISBN 8389-7554-2]
Also See: Chapter 4, ITEM NUMBER: 4.31 a-e; 4.30 a-b