Scott W. H. Young
User Experience & Assessment Librarian
Montana State University
Jason Clark
Head, Special Collections and Archival Informatics
Montana State University
Sara Mannheimer
Data Management Librarian
Montana State University
This session will report on the activities and findings from the National Forum on Web Privacy and Web Analytics, an Institute of Museum and Library Services-funded project that brought together 40 librarians, technologists, and privacy researchers from across the US and Canada to critically address library values and practices related to web analytics. Libraries have historically offered safe spaces of intellectual freedom, but the widespread implementation of third-party analytics may conflict with our commitments to privacy. With these challenges in mind, our Forum essentially asked, “How can libraries implement privacy-focused, values-driven analytics practices?” This presentation will provide an overview of our National Forum and its results, including discussion of key challenges, staff skills, and partners for enhancing privacy on the web. We will also focus on generating dialogue and energizing leadership within the CNI community, especially regarding analytics needs and tools, implementation approaches, and practical strategies for achieving privacy.