Libraries and protecting patron privacy

Librarians have long been advocates of protecting patron privacy but in the digital age this is more challenging than ever before. Some of the issues involved are technical but there are other issues as well. There are legal concerns and librarians need to understand what laws may impact their organizations. Librarians should review licensing agreements to ensure that they are satisfied with the terms and conditions relevant to the protection of patron privacy before agreeing to them. It is also important to keep up with some of the latest developments of privacy that can impact not only the use of library resources but that impact privacy on the Internet in general.