Canadian Library Association / Association canadienne des
bibliothèques Position Statement on Citizenship Access to
Information Data Banks - Right to Privacy
Approved by Executive Council ~ June,
1987
Rapid advancements in computer and communications technology, the growth
of information use in data services and the economic utility of
information are factors which influence two equally important but
opposing public interests. The first is the fundamental right of
individuals to preserve their privacy by limiting the release of any
information which personally concerns them. The second is the necessity
for free access to information in order to ensure an informed citizenry
in an information rich country.
Therefore, to protect the personal rights and privacy of users to
consult and borrow library materials without prejudice, the Canadian
Library Association endorses the following policy: That names of library
users not be released to any person, institution, association or agency
for any reasons save as may be legally required by Federal or Provincial
laws.
In order to ensure that universal access to the highest level of
organized information is not replaced by a restricted user pay process,
CLA recognizes that:
-
In the sophisticated information age in which Canadians live, the
value of information lies not in the knowing, but in the use of
it.
-
Information as a commodity, which should be regarded as a public
good, is of too great a cost for the individual to fund
personally.
-
CLA has a commitment to the philosophy of "open availability to
information as a tool of economic and social development".
