The Views and Practices of UK School Librarians in Handling Student Privacy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper reports an online survey of the attitudes and practices of school librarians in the UK toward privacy in their workplaces, a subject that has been little studied to date. The survey examined the librarians’ views of professional body ethical frameworks, their personal confidence in handling privacy issues, and how their practices are affected by the wider school environment. The survey was complemented by semi-structured interviews with six experienced school librarians. The study found high levels of personal confidence and support for CILIP’s ethical framework, but also a desire for more school-specific resources about privacy.