Effectiveness of Privacy Policies: A Case Study of the Schaumburg Township District Library

Abstract

This case study examines the importance of information privacy and evaluates the specific information privacy policies and practices of a large suburban library. This study is focused on the Schaumburg Township District Library (STDL), to see how they are successfully protecting patron information. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how STDL is adhering to best practices in their policies by being in accordance with the American Library Association (ALA) privacy policies, to review what was learned from previous cyber-attacks and how STDL has prevented any further attacks, to look at how STDL continues to re-evaluate and update their policies, and to determine ways they can improve areas that affect information privacy, including current technology and staff training. The study utilizes STDL’s publicly posted information, website materials, and staff interviews to review the strengths and weaknesses of the methods that are being used and to exhibit how STDL is continually working to improve and insure patron data privacy.  

Keywords:  Privacy policies, privacy practices, information privacy, case study, privacy policy evaluation