NISO Consensus Principles on Users’ Digital Privacy in Library, Publisher, and Software-Provider Systems (NISO Privacy Principles)

Abstract

NISO’s set of consensus principles for the library, content-provider and software-provider communities addresses privacy issues related to the use of library and library-related systems. This set of principles focuses on balancing the expectations library users have regarding their intellectual freedoms and their privacy with the operational needs of systems providers. The NISO Privacy Principles set forth a core set of guidelines by which libraries, systems providers and publishers can foster respect for patron privacy throughout their operations and outline at a high level basic concepts and areas which need to be addressed to support a greater understanding for and respect of privacy-related concerns in systems development, deployment, and user interactions. The twelve principles covered in the document address the following topics: Shared Privacy Responsibilities; Transparency and Facilitating Privacy Awareness; Security; Data Collection and Use; Anonymization; Options and Informed Consent; Sharing Data with Others; Notification of Privacy Policies and Practices; Supporting Anonymous Use; Access to One’s Own User Data; Continuous Improvement and Accountability.