91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – In the wake of Mark Zuckerberg’s Congressional testimony last week and the related explosion of public interest in how online personal data is collected, stored, shared, used and sometimes misused, this year’s theme— “Big Data is Watching You”—could not be more perfectly timed.

(May 1-8), the 91´«Ã½'s annual, week-long event that promotes the importance of individual privacy rights and celebrates libraries and librarians' unique role in protecting privacy, focuses on growing threat of "big data" analytics, especially in a time when technology, mobile computing, social media, and the growing adoption of "big data" analytics pose new threats to everyone's right to privacy. Choose Privacy Week offers libraries and librarians a special opportunity to host privacy-centered programming, displays, and other learning opportunities that assist patrons and librarians alike to learn, think critically and make more informed choices about privacy.

and are available through the Choose Privacy Week website at

During , the 91´«Ã½ invites librarians and library users to engage in a conversation about "big data" in the library and its impact on individuals' right to privacy via a week-long online forum that features commentaries by librarians, educators, and privacy experts. Featured writers include:

, systems librarian at the L, on "Patron Privacy and Data Storage."

, Innovations Manager for the , "Big Brother is Watching You: The Ethical Role of Libraries and Big Data."

, researcher at , on student data and the impact on school librarians.

, affiliate fellow, , "Libraries as Private Spaces."

, president, Free E-book Foundation and founder, and T.J. Lamanna, chair, and emerging technologies librarian at the , "Your Library Organization is Watching You."

, Director of the , "The Challenge of Balancing Customer Service with Privacy."

, community technologist and librarian, , "Practical Privacy – Helping People Make Realistic Privacy Choices for Their Real Lives."

Choose Privacy Week Sponsors:

The 91´«Ã½ Intellectual Freedom Committee’s monitors ongoing privacy developments in libraries, including technology, politics, legislation, and social trends. It proposes actions to 91´«Ã½'s Intellectual Freedom Committee that promote best policies and practices for library users' privacy and that defend and protect the privacy of library users, librarians, and the public.

The 91´«Ã½ is charged with implementing 91´«Ã½ policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights and with educating librarians and the public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries. OIF supports the work of the Intellectual Freedom Committee and its Privacy Subcommittee. For more information, visit .