The Evolution of Privacy within the American Library Association, 1906–2002

Abstract

From fears of anarchist terrorists in the early twentieth century
 through cold war conflict and contemporary fears of extremist religious
 terrorists, the American library community responded to the
 use of libraries as a site for surveillance and source of dangerous
 information in an increasingly proactive and organized manner. This
 paper traces the evolution of privacy norms and standards within the
 American library profession, focusing on the lack of regard for patron
 confidentiality in the early twentieth century, the development
 of privacy norms in the American Library Association (ALA) Code
 of Ethics in 1938, and the increased protection of privacy rights as
 the profession’s conceptions of privacy formed around the ALA’s
 codes. Using Nissenbaum’s (2009) “contextual integrity” framework
 within a broad historical analysis of ALA publications, the paper
 examines the role of its codes regarding privacy in establishing a
 normative framework around which the continued application of privacy
 standards in libraries has taken place despite new technological
 challenges and continued pressure from governments and outside
 organizations to exploit patron information. The paper concludes
 that the ALA’s unambiguous stance on, and consistent advocacy for,
 privacy standards across the profession has enabled reactions to violations
 of privacy norms that have shifted with technologies and new
 social pressures. The ALA’s historic ability to maintain and protect
 these professional standards serves as a compelling model for new
 information professions that work to set professional standards in
 areas that range from data-analytics to social networking.

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