Youth Privacy Protections and Library Card Access @ Your Library
It is an especially challenging time to work in libraries. The needs continue to grow; the budgets are flat, if not shrinking; and the assault by outside parties to destabilize and defund the institutions continues. Library workers are finding their mental health impacted, even–and sometimes especially!–if they love the job dearly.
Though it might not feel like an opportune time to focus on library policies when there are so many other fires to tend to. But it might actually be the ideal time to consider where and how your library is addressing new and proposed legislation nationwide that intends to make the job harder than it should be.
In June, the Literary Activism newsletter dove deep into two intertwining topics: privacy protections for minors and library card access policies and procedures. These are issues that have become a focus for some state-level lawmakers, meaning there is a good chance they will become topics of interest to even more state-level lawmakers in the coming sessions. Both privacy and library card access policies in the library are ways for outside entities to impose their beliefs on the library, further facilitating censorship.
Find below links to–and quotes from–those three pieces. The first was written entirely by me, Kelly Jensen. I brought in the foremost expert on library card registration policies, Amy Mikel from the Brooklyn Public Library, to write about where and how the library card sign-up process intersects with censorship. Finally, Amy and I collaborated on a question-and-answer style piece about what’s going well, where libraries can improve, and more.
Do Minors Have a Right to Privacy in the Library?
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According to the ALA, the right to privacy extends to minors. This is a powerful policy, especially for young people whose home lives may be far from safe. Young people with library cards can borrow what they’d like without fear that the library’s circulation records will be released to others. At least, that’s the theory. In practice, this right to privacy for those under 18 varies state by state and library by library. There are numerous reasons for this. Among them are the ways libraries set up their applications for getting a library card, who is responsible for the materials borrowed on a library card, and what power a parental signature may have on a card application for a minor. Libraries also differ in how they follow the policies and procedures recommended by their professional association, deferring to local practices or expectations, as well as their own experience in their communities. Privacy can be a lot more challenging in a small town than in a larger system.
Library Cards–The New Landscape of Public Library Censorship
Those eager to censor books and reading have zeroed in on a crucial tool to restrict young people’s use of the public library: the library card. Increasingly, lawmakers and library governing authorities looking to censor books and reading have begun introducing restrictions around how public libraries issue library cards to minors. Serving to effectively cut off library access in part or entirely for youth, this approach also chills the inclination to read freely by limiting a minor’s right to privacy in their library use.
“Won’t Someone Think of the Children?”–Youth Library Cards and Privacy Q+A
Kelly: The people and the legislative authorities who’ve been key players in censorship since 2021 have found every means by which they can restrict access to materials and work toward defunding and destabilizing libraries. One of those movements has been to restrict or outright remove the ability for libraries–and the librarians working in them–to be engaged with the American Library Association. Membership isn’t the only thing being prohibited; so, too, are policies and procedures that libraries have used for decades to ensure that their libraries are fulfilling their purpose. What can library workers in institutions like these, which aren’t subscribing to the Library Bill of Rights and other foundational philosophies and practices, do when it comes to ensuring they provide as much access to their materials and services as possible, both to adult and youth users? What about libraries which can and do work within ALA frameworks but which are still creating restrictions and barriers through their library card policies?
Amy: Even libraries who are fully subscribed to the foundational values and ethics laid out in ALA’s Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statements struggle to make sound legal and operational decisions to advance access while employing good stewardship of our buildings, services, and collections; also while creating a welcoming place for all users of the library and protecting the safety and well-being of staff. It’s a tall order!
Regardless of ALA affiliation or not, it’s generally seen as best practice that a library has a list of standard policies on the books and reviews and reissues each of those policies at a minimum every five years.
Public-serving staff should take note of the times when they might be denying eligible patrons from library service due to vague, outdated, or inequitable library card rules; then, make sure to review their library’s existing registration policy (if there is one) and review the standards for service issued by their state’s governing agency (you can start by asking your state library association). Advocate with your administration for change.
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At the 2026 American Library Association conference in June, the Council voted on a resolution stating that library card access is a fundamental right and that there should be even more research and resources devoted to studying how these policies can prioritize social equity. The proposal, brought by Stephanie Chase, is inspired and bolstered by Amy Mikel’s work at the Brooklyn Public Library, passed handily. You can read the full proposal here. It asks libraries and library associations to spend more time and effort on making library cards as accessible and barrier-free as possible.
Even if you’re not a decision maker at your library, you can consider where and how your library’s policies align with the library’s values and mission. Bringing up where and how your card policies may hinder access, or asking whether you have a policy related to child privacy in the library, is something you can do with your direct manager. Libraries aim to be places of social equity; your voice and advocacy for that make a difference.
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and it’s also the traditional start of the new school year. There’s no better time to consider who can–and who cannot–take full advantage of their library and consider why.
