Background

Background for Everyone


Intro	Task	Background	Roles	Group	Evaluation	Conclusion	Dictionary

To begin the activity: You need to be sure that everyone in the group is on the same page as far as terms and concepts are concerned. Understanding the particular language surrounding an issue is an important first step in understanding the issue itself. The terms listed below are some that you’ll encounter in discussions of privacy in libraries. The Web sites will help you define them and also give you a chance to learn more about where we get our understanding of privacy as a “right.”

What does THAT mean?


Filtering Video surveillance Cookies Total Information Awareness Censorship Data retention	Profiling Biometrics Encryption Pornography Civil liberties Constitutionally protected speech/free speech

Don’t limit yourself to these terms. If you come across others you can't define, look them up too!

Background Links

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

TechWeb: The Business Technology Network

American Library Association

The Electronic Privacy Information Center
See specifically, “The A to Z's of privacy. From airline passenger profiling and Caller ID to Social Security Numbers and Wiretapping” toward the bottom of the page.

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
See especially the sections on Censorship and Filters and Filtering

Defining the terms will help you begin thinking about the questions below. There will be additional sites to visit as well, but for now it is most important that you get a sense of the different points of view surrounding this issue and why it generates so much debate. This background work will help to prepare you for your role as a “policy-maker” in the next phase of the activity.

Who?
Who is involved in the debate about privacy in libraries?
Who will be affected by your new library policy?

What?
What are the points of view represented?
What do the terms mean? Do they mean the same thing to everyone?

When?
When is privacy an issue in libraries?
When did it become such a “hot button” topic?

Where?
Where did this problem come from?
Where will it ultimately be solved?

Why?
Why do some people think privacy is important in libraries?
Why do some people think it’s not so important?

How?
How do other libraries deal with privacy?
How does the law tell us we must deal with privacy in libraries?

Other questions?

What’s Next? Now that you’ve had a chance to learn a little about the question you’re being asked to answer, it’s time to move ahead by dividing the group into four teams. Each team will assume a different Role in the WebQuest, with each Role representing a different perspective on the issue.


Intro	Task	Background	Roles	Group	Evaluation	Conclusion	Dictionary

Created by:
Janet H. Brackett
December 2002
Based on a format developed by
Bernie Dodge and Tom March
www.ozline.com/