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This chat focuses on blended future ready education practices, and is a hotbed of collaboration and a free exchange of ideas.

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This chat focuses primarily on educational technology and how to incorporate it in every stage of education. As a resource and hub of technology its important to know what technology the instructors need/want and how they plan on using it.

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This site focuses on developing technology as well as reviews, discussions on privacy, best practices, and net nuetrality

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As a school librarian at a small K-12 district in Illinois, Angela K. is at the center of a battle of extremes in educational technology and student privacy.

On one side, her district is careful and privacy-conscious when it comes to technology, with key administrators who take extreme caution with ID numbers, logins, and any other potentially identifying information required to use online services. On the other side, the district has enough technology "cheerleaders" driving adoption forward that now students as young as second grade are using Google's G Suite for Education.

In search of a middle ground that serves students, Angela is asking hard, fundamental questions. "We can use technology to do this, but should we? Is it giving us the same results as something non-technological?" Angela asked. "We need to see the big picture. How do we take advantage of these tools while keeping information private and being aware of what we might be giving away?"

School librarians are uniquely positioned to navigate this middle ground and advocate for privacy, both within the school library itself and in larger school- or district-wide conversations about technology. Often, school librarians are the only staff members trained as educators, privacy specialists, and technologists, bringing not only the skills but a professional mandate to lead their communities in digital privacy and intellectual freedom. On top of that, librarians have trusted relationships across the student privacy stakeholder chain, from working directly with students to training teachers to negotiating with technology vendors.

Following the money

Part of any school librarian's job is making purchasing decisions with digital vendors for library catalogs, electronic databases, e-books, and more. That means that school librarians like Angela are trained to work with ed tech providers and think critically about their services.

"I am always asking, 'Where is this company making their money?'" Angela said. "That's often the key to what's going on with the student information they collect."

School librarians know the questions to ask a vendor. Angela listed some of the questions she tends to ask: What student data is the vendor collecting? How and when is it anonymized, if at all? What does the vendor do with student data? How long is it retained? Is authentication required to use a certain software or service, and, if so, how are students' usernames and passwords generated?

In reality, though, librarians are not always involved in contract negotiations. "More and more tech tools are being adopted either top-down through admin, who don't always think about privacy in a nuanced way, or directly through teachers, who approach it on a more pedagogical level," Angela said. "We need people at the table who are trained to ask questions about student privacy. Right now, these questions often don't get asked until a product is implemented-and at that point, it's too late."

Teaching privacy

Angela wants to see more direct education around privacy concepts and expectations, and not just for students. Teachers and other staff in her district would benefit from more thorough training, as well.

"As a librarian, I believe in the great things technology can offer," she said, "but I think we need to do a better job educating students, teachers, and administrators on reasons for privacy."

For students, Angela's district provides the digital literacy education mandated by Illinois's Internet Safety Act. However, compartmentalized curricula are not enough to transform the way students interact with technology; it has to be reinforced across subjects throughout the school year.

"We used to be able to reinforce it every time library staff worked with students throughout the year," Angela said, "but now staff is too thin."

Teachers also need training to understand the risks of the technology they are offering to students.

"For younger teachers, it's hard to be simultaneously skeptical and enthusiastic about new educational technologies," Angela said. "They are really alert to public records considerations and FERPA laws, but they also come out of education programs so heavily trained in using data to improve educational experiences."

In the absence of more thorough professional training, Angela sees teachers and administrators overwhelmed with the task of considering privacy in their teaching. "Sometime educators default to not using any technology at all because they don't have the time or resources to teach their kids about appropriate use. Or, teachers will use it all and not think about privacy," she said. "When people don't know about their options, there can be this desperate feeling that there's nothing we can do to protect our privacy."

Angela fears that, without better privacy education and awareness, students' intellectual freedom will suffer. "If students don't expect privacy, if they accept that a company or a teacher or 'big brother' is always watching, then they won't be creative anymore."

A need for caution moving forward

Coming from librarianship's tradition of facilitating the spread of information while also safeguarding users' privacy and intellectual freedom, Angela is committed to adopting and applying ed tech while also preserving student privacy.

"I am cautious in a realistic way. After all, I'm a tools user. I know I need a library catalog, for example. I know I need electronic databases. Technologies are a necessary utility, not something we can walk away from."

As ed tech use increases, school librarians like Angela have an opportunity to show that there is no need to compromise privacy for newer or more high-tech educational resources.

"Too many people in education have no expectation of privacy, or think it's worth it to hand over our students' personal information for ed tech services that are free. But we don't have to give up privacy to get the resources we need to do good education."

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A School Librarian Caught In The Middle of Student Privacy Extremes

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As a school librarian at a small K-12 district in Illinois, Angela K. is at the center of a battle of extremes in educational technology and student privacy. On one side, her district is careful and privacy-conscious when it comes to technology, with key administrators who take extreme caution with...

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A great resource for  programs with an emphasis innovative on student involvement.

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Teen programming is an important part of what we do as teen librarians. It can also be a time consuming part of what we do, it takes a little bit of time, love and tenderness (wait, is that a song?) to find and put a program together for our teens (and tweens). One of the regular features here at TLT is TPiB. Here are some prepackaged programs (that are easily adaptable) for you to use. If you do use a program, or part of a program, please consider taking some pictures and dropping us a line to let us know. See also Tech Talk.

Based on specific books, adaptable for general programs

Feed Their Hunger for the Hunger Games (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, survival)
Share it! Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Olympians Week (Rick Riordan's Olympians series)

It's a Dead Man's Party (Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, zombies, monsters)

Paranormal Crafts - Angels (Angel fiction, Embrace by Jessica Shirvington)

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand (horror)

Food Fight (based on The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski, food activities)

Retro Reading (based on Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt)

The Fairy Garden (inspired by Return to Me by Justina Chen)

Leaving Kansas for Oz (inspired by The Wizard of Oz)
The Mortal Instruments
Tales from Lovecraft Middle School (Halloween, monsters and zombies)
Divergent Programming Divergent Truth or Dare
Divergent Rainbow Loom Faction Bracelets with Bottle Cap charms
Be a Changemaker Workshops Book Review and Program Ideas: Playing with Surface Design by Courtney Cerruti More Crafts Then You Have Time For
Flashback Fridays (retro)

Send Them Back to School with Style (back to school crafts)

Pageturners! Save My Spot! (a variety of bookmarks)
Turn Your Instagram Photos into Photobooth Strip Bookmarks Picture It: 30 Days of Art Activities part 1
Art Through the Ages (Picture It: 30 Days of Art Activities part 2)
Picture It: 30 Days of Art Activities part 3 Picture It: 30 Days of Art Activities part 4
Monster Fest (great for Halloween)

Once Upon a Time (twisted fairy tales, fantasy)

All the World's a Stage (performing arts)

Meme ALL the Shirts (t-shirt crafts, memes)
Project Fashion Project Fashion, part 2
Tales from the Crib: Babysitting 101 (Don't Sit on the Baby from Zest Books)

Retro Movies with Reel Culture (Reel Culture from Zest Books)

87 Killer Programs from 87 Ways to Throw a Killer Party (87 Ways to Throw a Killer Party from Zest Books)

Spatacular (spa activities, based on books from Zest Books)

We've Only Got This One Earth: 47 Things You Can Do for the Environment (Earth Day, going green, based on 47 Things You Can Do for the Environment from Zest Books)

Guitar Pick Jewelry (featuring Guitar Notes by Mary Amato)

Duct Tape Crafts and Duct Tape Crafts Part 2
Duct Tape Tips Origami Resources Poster Frenzy: Transparency Film + Dry Erase Markers = Posters Story Terrariums
Renovate Your Room (with more Duct tape crafts)
Instagram crafts Poetry Crafts, take 2 Art Journals/Memoirs
10 Things to Do with a Blank Canvas part 1 and part 2.
Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos When Books Inspire Art To Rainbow Loom or Not To Rainbow Loom
STEM Programming using Quirk's Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab.
Crafting with Quirk I am SHERlocked Sharpie tie-dyed Ts Washi: The kinder, gentler tape Five Zero Cost, Raid the Cabinet programs Back to School Crafts
Brushbots Part 1 and Part 2
MineCRAFTS Bottle Wrapping Comic Book Creations Playing with Surface Design by Courtney Cerruti Postcards from France, programs, books and more for a France themed day Programming with Straws DIY Magnetic Duct Tape Instagram Photo Frames Herbal Bath Sachets (aka Tub Teas) Mexican Sugar Skulls Made Out of Clay (with links to a few other multicultural crafts)
Food Fight (based on The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski, food activities)
Marshmallow Madness Tiny Food Party
Live Angry Birds (by Heather Booth)
Talk Like a Pirate Day Prom Spectacular (by Steve Moser)
Poetically Speaking (poetry activities)
Post It Note art (by Stacey Costabile)
Follow the Evidence (CSI activities)

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover (book speed dating)

Feeding Frenzy (Food allergy awareness as it appeared in VOYA, February 2012)

The Slurpee Challenge (by Heather Booth)
Creating a Babysitting Toolkit Extreme Gingerbread Challenge
Reality TV inspired programming ideas: Project Runway, Fear Factor, Cupcake Wars, Craft Wars

In a galaxy not so far away (Star Wars programming)

Valentine's Day/Anti-Valentine's Day Programming (based on Crushed, Dumped, Kiss and The Date Book by Zest Books)

Cycling and Health Programs (with a tie in to Holy Spokes by Rob Coppolillo)
Teen Tech Week: Check in at the Library Steampunk in the Library Teens, Tech and Programming Hosting a Coding Club Free Comic Book Day programming Minecraft After Hours Squishy Circuits Teen Volunteers
It's In the Bag: Creating a babysitting toolkit (also good for a teen mom class)
Draw It! Teen Summer Reading Club Art Contest
Library Bootcamp (library training)

Expect the Unexpected: Lock-Ins (by Christie Gibrich)
Library Lock-In Outline Mock Printz
Reel Teens: Hosting a teen film festival (inspired by Andrew Jenks)
Geek Out Your Library: How to host a mini-con at your library 5 Things to Do with Post It Notes in Your Library One School, One Book Self Directed Displays for the Last Minute Self Directed Displays in Action Making Art Inspired by Books Self Directed Game Day Contest International Gaming Day Makerspace @ Your Library
Doctor Who: Making a Tardis T-Shirt for Dummies

Doctor Who: Making Doctor Who Minimalist Shadow Art
Book Quotation Celebration Teen Tech Week on a Shoestring Budget Start a Coding Club Creating a Life Hacks Workshop Bookish Nails Make Your Own (Simple) Photo Booth with Props Making .gifs with a SmartPhone and Legos Self Directed & Free Range Programming Ideas: 3 World Booktalk, 6 Second Booktalks, Scratch Off Tickets, Book Jar and Book Speed Dating
Career Conversations (programming for older teens by Heather Booth)

Touch Screen Gloves (from the Robot Test Kitchen)
Strawbees, a great tool for Makerspaces Career Conversations, programming for older teens
As part of her ILeadUSA experience, Heather Booth has been blogging about her experiences incorporating more tech into her library teen programming. Take a look at her posts here:
Take 5: The Robot Test Kitchen Reading List
What's Your Library's Story? A Robot Test Kitchen Guest Post
Review: Squishy Circuits True Confessions: My STEM program failed and it was not fun (but I still learned something) Review: Racing Robot Learn to Solder Kit True Confessions: I Want This to be Easier
Touch Screen Gloves (from the Robot Test Kitchen)
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Instructions We're Not Faking It, We're Making It
Check out more at the Robot Test Kitchen:

"We are the Techno Whats, a group of Youth Services and Teen librarians. We believe that when imaginations play, learning happens. We aim to use simple robotics as a means to expand our learning experience for other new technologies. Our goal is to provide an entry point of simple robotics in a way Youth and Teen Librarians can understand."

Follow the Robot Test Kitchen @RobotTestKitchn ( https://twitter.com/RobotTestKitchn)
Contact the Robot Test Kitchen: RobotTestKitchen [at] gmail.com
Sometimes we Tumbl too: http://techno-whats.tumblr.com/

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Teen programming is an important part of what we do as teen librarians. It can also be a time consuming part of what we do, it takes a little bit of time, love and tenderness (wait, is that a song?) to find and put a program together for our teens (and tweens).

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#tlchat is a tool I use to see what other TLs are doing in their libraries

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Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.

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Awesome resource of STEAM programs that vary from beginner to advances. Super creative and super fun!

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I'm rather disappointed by something that was shared with me online over the weekend, and that thing is a particular Libraries Transform campaign Because statement that apparently was voted the best submission to a National Library Week contest: "Because screen time can be pricey, but storytime is priceless."

At first read-and that's how the Because statements are meant to function, as quick and impactful points that hit home without requiring much though-it probably reads just fine. After all, yay, storytimes! Right?

Wrong. Let's unpack.

This statement is at best an oversimplification and extension of false dichotomies that have been plaguing conversations in youth librarianship about how best to serve children and their families in our current landscape, which unequivocally includes technology. At worst, it's outright exclusionary of the children and families whom we serve and who depend on devices for their very existence.

See, when we make statements like these, whether we intend to or not, we're setting up a binary: in this case, with devices and storytimes at two opposite ends of a spectrum that has values of "pricey" and "priceless" respectively. The human brain is evolved to sort and categorize according to broad values, and so these sorts of binaries typically feel like they just make sense. Either/or, good/bad, strong/weak feel natural. The world makes sense.

Guess what? It's a trap! Our brains have evolved to sort and categorize, but the categories we've ascribed as opposing ends of a spectrum are nothing more than social constructs. (We're having more conversations recently about how binaries are false; if this conversation feels new to you, please take some time to research constructs of binaries related to gender, race, wealth, etc. It is your job as a human who works with other humans to do this work.) The reason this becomes problematic really quickly is that these constructs can typically be boiled down to two opposing positions: one thing has no value, and the other has all the value.

So let's think about this Because statement recognizing that its syntax is deliberately constructed to have us ascribe zero value to one thing (i.e., devices) and supreme value to the other (i.e., storytimes). (If you don't think that's how this particular value dichotomy works, I submit to you the incredibly successful MasterCard campaign of yore.) This construction sets up a relationship in which inherent value is the bottom line descriptor. Storytime is inherently valuable and devices inherently valueless.

Value can be many things, but every interpretation here is reductive and false.

Devices cost money and storytimes are free, and we all know free is better than costly. What a ridiculous value judgment completely devoid of any realities of socioeconomic status or class.

Devices require a threshold for participation (cash, tech know-how, etc.) and storytimes are for everyone. This particular interpretation of value is complete and utter nonsense because storytimes are not for everyone. Do you offer storytimes in English? Your storytimes aren't for non-English speaking families. Do you have storytimes only during weekday work hours? Your storytimes aren't for children whose families work. Do you have behavioral standards for children who participate in your storytimes, and ask the "disruptive" ones to leave and try to come back another time? Your storytimes are demanding conformity to particular cultural norms and excluding children whose norms may be different. "Different" does not equal "worse," but that's the relationship this binary implies.

Devices inherently have potential personal risk and storytimes are universally beneficial. I call crap. On the one hand, there are many, many uses for devices that are outright ignored by those who like to articulate in every library forum they can find the same tired talking points about "what we don't really know about technology and kids and so you're a bad librarian if you use technology." Once again, do your own research about the ways in which devices-in particular assistive devices, but devices generally-can and do positively impact the lives of children in our communities. On the other hand, to suggest that storytimes are always beneficial is utter nonsense. I read and hear all the time about librarians who share in their storytimes materials that deal in stereotypical representation of people of color, exclude any mention of persons with disabilities, show only one type of family (heteronormative), celebrate the traditions of only one culture (typically Christian), and otherwise diminish the histories and experiences of the very people gathered around our storytime rugs. Children who do not see themselves represented in storytimes-and in particular those who see their experiences excluded, negated, or denigrated-are not reaping the supreme benefits from storytimes that we like to think we're providing. Rather, we may be causing more harm than early literacy goodness. Intention doesn't matter.

Devices are bad and storytimes are good. This binary gets me the most annoyed because of how our own internalizations of bad/good get passed on to the kids and families we serve as though they were universal truths. If something is bad, and you use it, the implication is that you are bad. If something is good, and you use it, you are good. This easy use of the transitive property leads to straight-up shaming of parents and caregivers who are legitimately doing their best by their kids, all because their kids have touched an iPhone. Is one of your library goals making parents feel like they're failures because of what they do with their kids, or because of what their kids do (or don't do) in the library? Probably not, but by ascribing descriptors that translate to "bad" or even "not good" to broad tools like technology does just that. We shouldn't assume we know how parents and kids are using devices, and ascribing a clear "bad" descriptor to them is both presumptuous and unnecessarily judgmental.

No matter how you're opting to interpret pricey vs. priceless, this Because statement doesn't tell the full story and in all likelihood perpetuates myths and behaviors-about both devices and storytimes-that negatively impact the kids we're meant to serve.

Stepping away from the reductive values interpretations, there's still the problem of why we're even comparing storytimes to devices in the first place. They are not in a shared category to begin with, with storytimes being a service and devices being a tool. If there's any relationship here, it's that devices can be a tool to support the storyitme service-not that they are in the same category.

Let's leave behind the false dichotomies readings here and finish with the worst case scenario of what this Because statement asserts: that devices have no place in storytimes, and so children and families who rely upon devices of any kind have no place there either. I have colleagues who can and do speak to this topic with more eloquence, expertise, and experience than I can, and once again I encourage you to seek out reputable resources should you find yourself needing some professional development in this area. For here, suffice it to say that this Because statement is essentially saying that children and their caregivers who depend upon assistive devices to communicate, participate, cope, and live are not welcome in storytimes. That's disgustingly ableist.

Look, I get it. It's catchy phrasing, and I'm hopeful that those who composed and promoted this Because statement didn't mean to perpetuate unhelpful dichotomies or to exclude families who use assistive devices. But intention doesn't count for anything in these conversations, no matter how pithy an advocacy statement may sound. Statements like this one only serve to oversimplify important issues deserving of real consideration and research, or to judge and alienate those children and families we're mission-driven to serve. I don't have room in my advocacy toolbox for that kind of thing.

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I'm rather disappointed by something that was shared with me online over the weekend, and that thing is a particular Libraries Transform campaign Because statement that apparently was voted the best submission to a National Library Week contest: "Because screen time can be pricey, but storytime is priceless."

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This resources is fantastic for when you are looking to learn more about assistive technology and increasing access for minorities

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Universal Design of Information Technology in Elementary and Secondary Schools

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These resources help to ensure that information technology is accessible to all elementary and secondary students.

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This blog focuses on implementing and piloting educational digital resources. They have reviews, suggested alternative uses for resources, and other creative ideas.

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Content filed under the EdTech category.

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I love this resource, its curated by information professional and is a FREE archive of webinars on digital resources. There is also a social component and you can network with people in your area!

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No Shelf Required focuses on digital resources... hence the name. This site posts eBook reviews, as in depth discussion on adaptability of resources for sites with any budget and communities with varying levels of digital literacy.

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Literary short stories rarely, if ever, get a chance to make an impression on their own terms, as they are usually buried in print anthologies that get lost quickly in an ever-expanding universe of published content. When short stories are given a new life in digital format-not only by extracting existing texts and migrating them online but also by translating them into several languages and adding original audio elements to each-as is the case with The Short Story Project-their impact is undeniable.

Professional reviewer Michael Rogers here sheds light on this mighty new entrant into the digital publishing and library market. NSR is pleased to publish this review and we look forward to following TSSP's progress and development in the months and years to come.-Ed.
Stories that cross the line
Launched in 2015, The Short Story Project (TSSP) hosts a wide selection of short fiction from noted international authors. The acclaimed site-nominated for the London Book Fair's Literary Translation Initiative Award in 2016, among others-also co-exists as an app of the same name for Androids and iOS devices. It was founded upon the belief that "reading is an experience that can make a difference. An experience that enables reflection on the human condition, inspires empathy and encourages examination; that reading is more than a pastime; it is an activity that can serve as a bridge between people and cultures, a sounding board for voices and ideas." This belief is evident in many details, including TSSP's tagline (Stories that Cross the Line).

TSSP endeavors to promote that philosophy through the "lively, stimulating presence of short fiction in contemporary culture," enabling the "voices of writers from across the world be heard and resonate." It is the creation of Iftach Alony, an Israeli-born business man with a history of successful entrepreneurial ventures. Alony is the author of two novels (2009's Thief of Dreams, and 2012's best-selling Spare Parts), the short story collections, Garuda's Gaze and Plagues (of Egypt) Now (2015 and 2017, respectively), as well as the poetry collections, Let the Thorns Die (2013) and Gravity (2014). He also is the founder and coeditor of Block Magazine, a producer of several travel-films, and has served as a judge for short story competitions and other literary endeavors. Continue reading Introducing The Short Story Project: A whole new way to discover, curate and appreciate short stories

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Literary short stories rarely, if ever, get a chance to make an impression on their own terms, as they are usually buried in print anthologies that get lost quickly in an ever-expanding universe of published content.

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This resource gives advice and suggestions for fostering community partnerships in a school library setting.

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This resource gives advice and suggestions for fostering community partnerships in a school library setting.

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No Shelf Required focuses on digital resources... hence the name. This site posts eBook reviews, as in depth discussion on adaptability of resources for sites with any budget and communities with varying levels of digital literacy.

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Literary short stories rarely, if ever, get a chance to make an impression on their own terms, as they are usually buried in print anthologies that get lost quickly in an ever-expanding universe of published content. When short stories are given a new life in digital format-not only by extracting existing texts and migrating them online but also by translating them into several languages and adding original audio elements to each-as is the case with The Short Story Project-their impact is undeniable.

Professional reviewer Michael Rogers here sheds light on this mighty new entrant into the digital publishing and library market. NSR is pleased to publish this review and we look forward to following TSSP's progress and development in the months and years to come.-Ed.
Stories that cross the line
Launched in 2015, The Short Story Project (TSSP) hosts a wide selection of short fiction from noted international authors. The acclaimed site-nominated for the London Book Fair's Literary Translation Initiative Award in 2016, among others-also co-exists as an app of the same name for Androids and iOS devices. It was founded upon the belief that "reading is an experience that can make a difference. An experience that enables reflection on the human condition, inspires empathy and encourages examination; that reading is more than a pastime; it is an activity that can serve as a bridge between people and cultures, a sounding board for voices and ideas." This belief is evident in many details, including TSSP's tagline (Stories that Cross the Line).

TSSP endeavors to promote that philosophy through the "lively, stimulating presence of short fiction in contemporary culture," enabling the "voices of writers from across the world be heard and resonate." It is the creation of Iftach Alony, an Israeli-born business man with a history of successful entrepreneurial ventures. Alony is the author of two novels (2009's Thief of Dreams, and 2012's best-selling Spare Parts), the short story collections, Garuda's Gaze and Plagues (of Egypt) Now (2015 and 2017, respectively), as well as the poetry collections, Let the Thorns Die (2013) and Gravity (2014). He also is the founder and coeditor of Block Magazine, a producer of several travel-films, and has served as a judge for short story competitions and other literary endeavors. Continue reading Introducing The Short Story Project: A whole new way to discover, curate and appreciate short stories

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Literary short stories rarely, if ever, get a chance to make an impression on their own terms, as they are usually buried in print anthologies that get lost quickly in an ever-expanding universe of published content.

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This hashtag is great and focuses on esnuring student wellness academic libraries. Discusses over sites and biases that are affecting students and what we can do to make sites as inclusive as possible. As a primarily white professional this is of the upmost importance.

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This hashtag is great and focuses on ensuring student wellness academic libraries. Discusses over sites and biases that are affecting student and instructor relationships and what we can do to make sites as inclusive as possible.

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I love this resource, its curated by information professional and is a FREE archive of webinars on digital resources. There is also a social component and you can network with people in your area!

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This awesome resource has discussions, webinars, and blog posts about technology in education. It focuses on adaptable and integrated technology ( great for google schools).

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Although we won't be able to be face-to-face in person this year, it will still be great to connect virtually with people across the world, and to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

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This awesome resource has discussions, webinars, and blog posts about technology in education. It focuses on adaptable and integrated technology ( great for google schools).

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Although we won't be able to be face-to-face in person this year, it will still be great to connect virtually with people across the world, and to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

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This page is the hub of privacy guidelines, resources, and best practices for libraries and is curated by the ALA.

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Libraries face a number of challenges in protecting the privacy of users, especially students in elementary, middle, and high schools. School libraries offer print, media, and online content to meet students' educational and research needs as well as to nurture their intellectual curiosity and development. Students' use of library resources is also incorporated into classroom activities, learning outcomes, and assessment.

School libraries typically are integrated into their district's administrative and technology infrastructures. Depending on district administration and outside cooperative technology or vendor agreements, school libraries have greater or lesser degrees of autonomy. A lack of autonomy may make it difficult for librarians to implement policies and procedures to protect student privacy in regard to the use of library systems, applications, and collections. In addition, state and federal laws regarding library records, educational records (e.g., the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the online activities of minors (e.g., the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) have both positive and negative impacts on the privacy rights of students. For example, FERPA defines explicit rights to privacy for students and minors but at the same time grants schools and parents access to, and oversight over, student records that weakens these privacy rights.

ALA issues these guidelines to provide school libraries with information about appropriate data management and security practices in respect to student use of library collections and resources in order to strengthen student privacy protections.
Why Privacy Is Important
Protecting user privacy and confidentiality has long been an integral part of the intellectual freedom mission of libraries. The right to free inquiry as assured by the First Amendment depends upon the ability to read and access information free from scrutiny by the government or other third parties. In their provision of services to library users, librarians have an ethical obligation, expressed in the ALA Code of Ethics, to preserve users' right to privacy. Librarians and libraries may also have a statutory or regulatory obligation to protect library users' personally identifiable information and data from unauthorized disclosure and use.

Students' and minors' First Amendment rights to free inquiry and privacy must be balanced against both the educational needs of the school and the rights of the parents. As students and minors mature, it is increasingly important that they are provided with opportunities to exercise their curiosity and develop their intellect free from the chilling effects of surveillance by educators, peers, parents, or commercial interests. As students begin to participate more fully in the online world, they must develop an appreciation for their own privacy and a corresponding respect for the privacy of others.
Clear Privacy Policies
It is important for libraries to develop privacy policies for student use of library resources that are adopted by both the library and the school's policy-making body. Students should be notified about library privacy policies when borrowing materials or accessing resources for the first time and as appropriate when there is a change in services, policies, or access. Library privacy policies should be made easily available and understandable to students in an age-appropriate manner. Safeguarding user privacy requires that staff keep all in-library use and reference questions confidential and assure that there is no monitoring by staff or peers of what students are reading, viewing, or researching while in the library.
Audit
School librarians should conduct privacy audits to determine the current threats to student privacy and what protections are already in place. The audit should cover the library management system; computer and network use in the library; eBooks and other online content; interactive Web tools; social media; and other technologies such as scanners/photocopiers and surveillance cameras. The results of the audit can be used to help create or revise privacy policies.
Collection and Retention of User Data
Libraries should limit the amount of personal information collected about students. Libraries should collect the minimum amount of personal information required to provide a service or meet a specific operational need. Libraries should not build services or resources using sensitive personally identifiable information that, if leaked or accessed by an unauthorized party, could prove detrimental to the user's privacy.

Personally identifiable information should not be retained in perpetuity. The library should establish record retention policies specifying how long to retain different types of data and specifying methods for securely destroying data that is no longer needed. Retention policies should also cover archival copies and backups.
Encryption
The use of data encryption helps enhance privacy protection. All online transactions between client applications (staff desktop clients, web browsers, mobile apps, etc.) and server applications should be encrypted. Client applications that do not support encryption (such as staff desktop clients) should employ virtual private network (VPN) technologies. In addition, any personally identifiable information and student data housed by the library or school off-site (cloud-based infrastructure, tape backups, etc.) should use encrypted storage.
Data Sharing
Library privacy policies should define when school library records can be shared (and under what conditions) with parents or guardians, school staff and teachers, and third-parties such as online service providers.

Federal laws such as FERPA and COPPA as well as state laws concerning the confidentiality of library and student records may impact if and how data is shared. Because of the broad leeway FERPA gives schools in using student data for internal educational purposes, librarians need to clearly distinguish among library records, educational records, and administrative records in order to provide explicit privacy rights in accordance with professional ethical obligations.

Agreements between school libraries and online service providers should address appropriate restrictions on the use, aggregation, retention, and dissemination of students' personally identifiable information. Agreements between libraries and service providers should also specify that libraries retain ownership of all data and that the service providers agree to observe the library's privacy policies, data retention policy, and security policies. In the event of a data breach, users whose data was compromised should be informed promptly (in the case of minors, the parents or guardians should be informed).

Many service providers have signed the Student Privacy Pledge which indicates a commitment to work in an ongoing fashion to meet and exceed all federal requirements to protect student data. Librarians should make participation in the Student Privacy Pledge a criterion when making purchasing decisions.

In addition, many states are passing legislation that restricts the collection and use of students' data by service providers (e.g. California's Student Online Personal Information Protection Act - SOPIPA). Librarians should only contract with service providers that comply with applicable state laws.
Educational Technology Systems
Primary and secondary schools are adopting learning management systems and other technologies that enable educators to monitor student reading habits (e.g. did the student access/read the assigned eBook or online text?) As a result, school districts are co-opting librarians into surveillance regimes by adopting these types of technologies. Librarians need to advocate for protecting student library use in an age of ubiquitous data logging and surveillance technologies, including learning management systems.
Digital Literacy & Advocacy
School librarians have a responsibility to teach students about their privacy rights, practices they can use to protect themselves, ethical behavior online, and respect for the privacy of others. In addition to educating students, school librarians should become advocates for protecting student privacy and intellectual freedom in the larger school environment. Often school librarians are focused only on user privacy within the library to the detriment of larger privacy issues in their school and district context. Because of their professional training and ethical commitment, librarians are well-equipped to be privacy advocates outside of the school library.
[The Library Privacy Checklist for Students in K-12 Schools is intended to help libraries of all capacities take practical steps to implement the principles that are laid out in this guideline.] Additional Resources Approved April 2, 2016 by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the American Library Association

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools

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Introduction Libraries face a number of challenges in protecting the privacy of users, especially students in elementary, middle, and high schools. School libraries offer print, media, and online content to meet students' educational and research needs as well as to nurture their intellectual curiosity and development.

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Community Partnership | Library as Incubator Project

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Today I am thrilled to share a conversation with Andrea Kazilionis from the Wells Public Library in Wells, Maine. Andrea fills us in on a partnership with the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, a local art museum. This is a great example of a library working closely with an arts institution to offer high-quality, expert...