CHICAGO—The latest issue of Library Technology Reports from ALA TechSource examines privacy and freedom of information in 21st-Century libraries. This special issue was produced in collaboration with The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom and includes contributions from Jason Griffey, Sarah Houghton-Jan, and Eli Neiburger.

In the introduction to this issue, Angela Maycok, assistant director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) states:  “As libraries increasingly move beyond provision of print material and into their expanding roles as providers of digital resources and services, intellectual freedom concerns have been magnified as they apply to a range of complex new issues.” OIF put together an all-star cast of writers to weigh in on some of the most pressing issues facing modern librarians.

Topics Covered in this Issue are:

• Libraries, Technology, and the Culture of Privacy by Barbara M. Jones

• User-Generated Content by Eli Neiburger

• Internet Filtering by Sarah Houghton-Jan

• Social Networking and the Library by Jason Griffey

• RFID in Libraries by Deborah Caldwell-Stone

You can buy this important new issue in print or electronically from the ALA Store and read the first chapter for free at the ALA TechSource website.

Angela Maycock serves as assistant director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association. She provides guidance and support to librarians, teachers and others on the application of ALA’s intellectual freedom policies and the First Amendment in specific situations involving materials challenges and confidentiality in the library.

Barbara M. Jones is the director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association. She received her PhD in U.S. history from the University of Minnesota and her MLS from Columbia University.

Eli Neiburger is the associate director for IT and production at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) District Library, where he is responsible for software development, digitization, events and marketing.

Sarah Houghton-Jan is the digital futures manager for the San José Public Library. Sarah writes the award-winning blog about library technology, Librarian In Black. She is also the author of the book “Technology Training in Libraries.”

Jason Griffey is an associate professor and head of library information technology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is the author of the American Libraries Perpetual Beta blog, and is also a columnist for the ALA Techsource blog .

Deborah Caldwell-Stone is deputy director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, where she works on initiatives promoting the defense of the First Amendment freedom to read and the application of constitutional law to library policies, principles and problems.

ALA TechSource is a publishing imprint of the American Library Association. ALA TechSource publishes Library Technology Reports and the ALA TechSource Blog.

The Office for Intellectual Freedom is charged with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials.  Learn more about OIF’s privacy initiative at www.privacyrevolution.org. 

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. 

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