Library E-books and users’ rights and privacy

Library E-books and Users’ Rights and Privacy
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Abstract
Service delivery which is one of the core principles of any library establishment should be guided by ethical values so that the information needs of patrons can be addressed effectively without bias. Therefore, while librarians may have professional responsibilities and know-how to provide efficient and effective library services, they should and must be guided by the code of ethics in this profession. It is very crucial for library patrons to have access to information services that will help them to meet their different information needs. However, they must be guided by the appropriate ethics and must abide by their professional codes of ethics. Great levels of awareness and appropriate perceptions of ethical issues by library personnel will go a long way in enhancing the delivery of library services, and consequently, this will project libraries as institutions committed to supporting good values and virtues. This paper examines the awareness and perception of the information privacy ethical issue in delivering library services.
Libraries serve as significant sources of information for the society, and they are guardians of the public’s access to info. They tend to influence the lives of people as well as the consciousness of the public/society by providing information. The dawn of the digital world has changed how the libraries provide information and how the public obtains it.

As the digital era continues evolving, libraries play a significant role in ensuring that people access the information they require regardless of their age, income, race, education or geographical barrier (Caldwell-Stone, 2012). Core principles of libraries such as intellectual freedom and unbiased provision of info must, therefore, be well-preserved and strengthened in this digital era. This paper uses the situation on how library patrons’ information could be jeopardized using other sources for e-books in libraries to discuss in details the ethical issue of information privacy in the library and whether this issue would defer patrons from using e-books over physical books.
The ethical issue of information privacy refers to the issue associated with the library’s use of user info aimed at improving services and collection of materials. Every library user or patron has the right to inquire and read anything, without fearing that they may be punished or judged by anyone. Moreover, the library staff should and must ensure that they keep their private, inquiry and circulation information private (Shuler, 2004). Libraries should, therefore, have clear guidelines on information privacy and the awareness of this issue increased as ways of dealing the information privacy ethical issue in libraries.
Information privacy is directly associated with the advancements in technology as currently being experienced since they have changed how this issue is handled. For instance, ordering and downloading an e-book leads to a considerable volume of info on the preferences of the user and also on the central ideas in the e-book (Caldwell-Stone, 2012). As such, advancements in technology have changed the manner in which information privacy is handled in libraries. The other issue related to information privacy is that of the entrance of personal and private info in search engines with the aim of gaining information. These search engines like social media do not protect private info in any way. Farther, the advancements in mobile technology have increased the issue due to agreement policies and applications on mobile gadgets. Therefore, librarians should be conversant with technological trends and developments so that they can ensure information of every library user is kept as private as possible, and thus this will encourage patrons to adopt the advancements in technology such as e-books (Maycock, 2013). Moreover, libraries also have an ethical responsibility to create user instruction programs and assist them in applying and utilizing the privacy settings in their devices.
The ethical issue of information privacy has turned out to be an issue of concern considering the technological advancements in libraries. These technological advancements cannot and should not stop, and libraries should neither stop utilizing technology. Technology is critical in the effective functioning of libraries. Therefore, to deal with this issue, libraries should limit the access to certain technology areas that involves the information of the users to the necessary and authorized personnel only. However, the use of the personal info in data analytics is somewhat justifiable since the data retrieved can be very resourceful to the library and thus can render it even more effective. Finally, when it comes to the issue of confidentiality in information privacy, all the departments in the libraries should and must employ user confidentiality.
References
Caldwell-Stone, D. (2012). A Digital Dilemma: Ebooks and Users’ Rights. American Libraries, 20-23.
Maycock, A. (2013). Privacy, Libraries, and Engaging the Public: ALA’s Choose Privacy Week Initiative. Indiana Libraries, 34-36.
Shuler, J. A. (2004). Privacy and academic libraries: Widening the frame of discussion. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 2(30), 157-159.