Abstract

This research was based on the investigation of the awarenesses of librarians of issues regarding the privacy of the users of school libraries. It sought to determine if, by raising the issue of the importance of the need for the protection of the personal information of the users of the school libraries, and the implications of not paying attention to the rules in effect, the awareness regarding the privacy of the users of school libraries would be improved. For this, previous research related to the privacy of the students, the legal basis for the protection of the privacy of the domestic and foreign students, and the types of the infringements upon the protection of their personal information were investigated. A survey was conducted to measure the awareness of issues related to the privacy of the users of the library. The research showed the results as follows: First, the awarenesses regarding the privacy of the users of the school libraries appeared low, and low recognition was also found regarding the awareness of the cases of the infringements upon the privacy of the users of the school libraries; regarding the awareness in relation to the protection of privacy; regarding the seriousness of the privacy problems of the users; and regarding the factors that can encroach upon the privacy of the users. Second, regarding the seriousness felt when the library records of the users of the school libraries are leaked to the outside, 41.6% of the respondents responded by saying "It is serious", and 18.4% responded by saying "It is not serious". Third, as a result of investigating the awareness regarding whether the consent of the person concerned is needed in case a third party requests access to reading the records in the library, 68.5% of the respondent responded "It is needed", and only 10.4% responded "It is not needed". Last, in the investigation into whether the respondents had the experience of being educated as to the rules related to the privacy of the users at a school or an external organization, over 80% of the respondents answered that they did not receive it.