Does your library have a social media policy in place? Mine does not. During children's department programs, my supervisor often takes photos of the children participating and then posts them on the library's Instagram page. Although there are no associated tags to identify the children or their families' accounts, it makes me question whether he should be sharing their photos without their consent.
Consent is especially important when sharing images of
children. Could a stalker or pedophile become interested in a child and visit
the library during a scheduled event to find that or other children? Could the
child's image be used in a biometric search to collect data on them? Recently,
I attempted to register a niece in a children's program at a neighboring
library. Captured below is the library's statement of consent for photography
sharing:
Another local library does not include a statement about photography use as part of the registration process. However, they include a filming and photography policy in their handbook that is transparently posted on their website: "The library is a public place, therefore, all library patrons consent to the use of their photo taken at the library or during library events unless they specifically inform staff of an objection to such use" (Rogers Memorial Library, p. 63, 2024). Furthermore, they state, "no names will be utilized in conjunction with photographs without express written consent" (Rogers Memorial Library, p. 63, 2024).
The American Library Association (ALA) provides guidelines
regarding ethics and privacy relating to social media. According to the ALA, at
the very least, "libraries should clearly state their social media
behavior policy on all their social media platforms and prominently display
that policy on their websites" (American Library Association, 2018).
The ALA emphasizes the importance of privacy in relation to
the Library Bill of Rights. In a nutshell, one key component of the Bill of
Rights refers to patron privacy in libraries. Besides keeping patrons' personal
information secure, libraries must also safeguard data on book circulation and
library use. Of course, the public use of patron photos on social media falls
under the umbrella of the Library Bill of Rights.
What is your library doing about the ethical issues of
privacy and content sharing in the social media arena? Are you following ALA
guidelines, or has your director or board of trustees created a policy?
References
Social Media Guidelines for public and academic libraries.
American Library Association. (2018, June). https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/socialmediaguidelines
Rogers Memorial Library Operations Policy Manual. Rogers
Memorial Library. (2024, October). https://myrml.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Operations-Policy-Manual-December-2024.pdf
Hi Maude, you raise some great points here! I think the most important thing is consent and making sure parents are comfortable with their kids being photographed. When we take pictures of kid programs at my library, we always ask first and get permission. You raise some good points, though, that the parent might be consenting to a picture being posted by the library but would not consent to some consequences that could occur because of the post. I think transparency is always key and that libraries should always be upfront of what will happen to pictures taken during programs.
ReplyDeleteHi Maude, I really liked how you framed the issue of privacy and consent with children's photos on social media. When patrons register for programs at my library, they also check a box stating that they are okay with us taking pictures that may be used on social media.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your point about the risks of posting kids' pictures online, even if there are no names or nametags in the pic. Images can still be misused, and they stay on the web forever.
Has your library ever considered developing a photo policy or adding a consent checkbox during program signup? It would make staff feel more confident about whats allowed and it would give parents more transparency and control.