PDA Event: Ethics, Legalities, and Practicalities: Privacy in Academic Libraries

Academic libraries operate at the intersection of competing privacy obligations — legal mandates under state library confidentiality statutes and FERPA, institutional data governance requirements, and the profession's own ethical commitments to intellectual freedom and patron confidentiality. But what happens when these frameworks don't align, or when the platforms and tools libraries depend on introduce data practices that complicate compliance or compromise values? Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe and Sarah Lamdan will help you navigate the complexity and understand what the law requires, what the profession expects, and how to make sound decisions about day-to-day practicalities.