Confidentiality and Privacy and Teens

In an eff ort to raise awareness about confidentiality and privacy issues related to teens, and at the direction of the Library Board, we are mailing letters each month to teens with active Library Cards who are turning 16 and 18 years old during that month. The letters discuss confidentiality and privacy issues teens should think about when using the Library. Teens are encouraged to talk to their parents or other adults if they have questions, or to contact the Library.

The first batch of letters was mailed yesterday. We chose the ages of 16 and 18 because they are milestone years for teens when they take on more responsibilities in their journey to adulthood.

Recently the Library Board reviewed our Confidentiality and Privacy Policy. The Library also added a new Confidentiality and Privacy webpage we hope will raise awareness about confidentiality and privacy issues related to Library use. We want to be transparent and share information about information we collect and maintain in order to improve service and protect the safety of patrons, the building, collections and other assets.

We live in a world where confidentiality and privacy issues surround us. Yesterday's announcement about Cambridge Analytica's use of data from 50 million Facebook users is a stark reminder that we need to be eternally vigilant when it comes to these issues. Hopefully our new webpage will help raise awareness and the letters sent to teens will be a catalyst for teens to thoughtfully manage their personal privacy and be aware of confidentiality issues.