VIDEOLIB Archive: Re: Patron privacy

Even if you have no stated policy, it can never be a good idea to give out the name of a patron who has material that someone else is eagerly (and in this case, angrily) awaiting! The likelihood that Prof. A. will harass Prof. B. is simply too great. It might be easier to contact the department that your adjunct works for and ask them to have Prof B. get in touch with you ASAP. (Since both faculty members may belong to the same dept., I doubt it would be wise to even hint to the department representative you're dealing with as to why you need to reach the adjunct prof. Hope that doesn't sound TOO paranoid). Good luck.

Greg

>From: "Gail Fedak"

>Reply-To: videolib@library.berkeley.edu

>To: Multiple recipients of list

>Subject: Patron privacy

>Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 13:46:34 -0800 (PST)

>This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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>I would like to find out if our privacy policy is appropriate or if we =

>are being unnecessarily cautious. When a video is checked out to =

>Instructor A, and Instructor B comes to check out the same video while =

>Instructor A has it, we do not tell Instructor B who has it. Because =

>both instructors are probably using the same video in each of their =

>classes, although not necessarily on the same day at the same hour, we =

>will call Instructor A to ask if s/he can return the program early so =

>Instructor B can also use it. This works well for us 99% of the time. =

>Also, most instructors know that they can reserve videos to assure their =

>availability at a given time. Today I had an "Instructor B" who was more =

>than a little aggravated that we had checked out "his" video (one he =

>requested we purchase years ago) to an "Instructor A" and would not tell =

>him who has it. We have been trying to contact "Instructor A" for =

>several days (he's an adjunct, so is difficult to contact), but to no =

>avail. Instructor B challenged our privacy policy and inquired if the =

>"library privacy act" applied to academic media libraries. I said that =

>it did, but would ask other academic media libraries about their privacy =

>policies. Are we being too rigid about who knows what someone else has =

>checked out?=20

>Thanks in advance for your input.

>Gail B. Fedak

>Manager, Instructional Media Resources

>Middle Tennessee State University

>Murfreesboro, TN 37132

>phone 615-898-2740

>fax 615-898-2530

>email gfedak@mtsu.edu

>=20

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> charset="iso-8859-1"

>Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

> >charset=3Diso-8859-1">

I would like to find out if our privacy =

>policy is=20

>appropriate or if we are being unnecessarily cautious. When a video is =

>checked=20

>out to Instructor A, and Instructor B comes to check out the=20

>same video while Instructor A has it, we do not =

>tell Instructor B=20

>who has it. Because both instructors are probably using the same video =

>in each=20

>of their classes, although not necessarily on the same day at the =

>same=20

>hour, we will call Instructor A to ask if s/he can return =

>the=20

>program early so Instructor B can also use it. This works well for us =

>99% of the=20

>time. Also, most instructors know that they can reserve videos to assure =

>their=20

>availability at a given time. Today I had an "Instructor B" who was =

>more=20

>than a little aggravated that we had checked out "his" video (one he =

>requested=20

>we purchase years ago) to an "Instructor A" and would not tell him =

>who has=20

>it. We have been trying to contact "Instructor A" for several days =

>(he's an=20

>adjunct, so is difficult to contact), but to no avail. Instructor B =

>challenged our privacy policy and inquired if the "library privacy act" =

>applied=20

>to academic media libraries. I said that it did, but would ask =

>other academic media libraries about their privacy policies. Are we =

>being=20

>too rigid about who knows what someone else has checked out?=20

Thanks in advance for your =

>input.

Gail B. Fedak
Manager, Instructional =

>Media=20

>Resources
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN =

>37132
phone 615-898-2740
fax 615-898-2530
email >href=3D"mailto:gfedak@mtsu.edu">gfedak@mtsu.edu
> >

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