Privacy of patrons in libraries is a major component of intellectual freedom. This is especially true of students who use school libraries. Students should be afforded the same level of patron privacy in a school library as they would receive in a public library. This statement from the Library Privacy Guidelines for students should be the foundation of a school library student privacy policy: Safeguarding user privacy requires that staff keep all in-library use and reference questions confidential and assure that there is no monitoring by staff or peers of what students are reading, viewing, or researching while in the library. If there must be security cameras in a school library, they should be placed so they do not monitor the circulation desk so that student use of materials can be kept confidential. Additionally, if cameras are placed to view computers, they should not be placed in a way that the screens of monitors can be viewed. Most importantly, there should be clear policies that safeguard student privacy and specifically outline cameras and their usage in the school library setting.
Surveillance in the School Library - Intellectual Freedom Blog