Original Publish Date: September 28, 2022

Getting ready for October's focus on Cybersecurity- consider why and how we can make sure our libraries are protected from cyber incursions and unintended disclosures: 

"The right to privacy – the right to read, consider, and develop ideas and beliefs free from observation or unwanted surveillance by the government or others – is the bedrock foundation for intellectual freedom. Privacy is essential to free inquiry in the library because it enables library users to select, access, and consider information and ideas without fear of embarrassment, judgment, punishment, or ostracism."

Did you know that New York State Law (NY CPLR - 4509) prohibits providing patron library records to anyone but the patron or by court order? Many libraries acknowledge this in their policies- such as this one from Suffolk Community College  

Folks who work with end users and system-level technology in SUNY all have a role in keeping library records confidential and appropriately used only for necessary educational or administrative purposes.  Here's a very short read that might inspire us to converse with library and traditional IT on this topic.

6 Ways You Can Safeguard Patrons' Privacy at Your Library

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Pay Inequality

Original Post: February 22, 2022 

 This information comes from Karen Caitlin, author of Better Allies and a terrific regular newsletter you can also subscribe to. 

"September 21 is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day here in the U.S. — the day Black women must work into 2022 to catch up with what white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2021. In even more depressing news, it’s more than a month later than last year (August 3, 2021), which means the pay gap has become worse. While I hope organizations everywhere are doing compensation reviews by gender and race and fixing inequities, this may not be happening. 

In the Harvard Business Review’s How to Identify — and Fix — Pay Inequality at Your Company, author Amii Barnard-Bahn wrote that in a survey of the 922 largest public U.S. companies, only 22% reported performing a salary audit between 2016 and 2020. So, check on your organization’s plans regarding a pay equity review. Ask about it at an all-staff meeting or send a message to your head of HR to let them know this topic is important to you.  I love this final message from Barnard-Bahn: “There is no way to feel more included than to be paid equal to the person sitting next to me.” 

 That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward. 

 — Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of Better Allies®" 

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