Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2019 Undergraduate Students' Attitudes About the Collection, Use, and Privacy of Search Data in Academic Libraries Laura W. Gariepy Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/6077 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Laura W. Gariepy 2019 All Rights Reserved UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES ABOUT THE COLLECTION, USE, AND PRIVACY OF SEARCH DATA IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: AN INTERPRETIVE DESCRIPTION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University by Laura Westmoreland Gariepy Master of Science in Library Science, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2009 Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Appalachian State University, 2006 Director: Dr. Lisa Abrams, School of Education; Associate Professor, Department of Foundations of Education Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia November, 2019 Dedication This study is dedicated to the 27 incredible students who spent their valuable time participating in interviews. You made this study possible and allowed me to make this important contribution to research. You also surprised me, impressed me, moved me, made me laugh, and gave me hope for the future. You reminded me why I love working in higher education, and why I love Virginia Commonwealth University, in particular. So, I dedicate not only this study to you, but my career in higher education, as well. To you and every other college student, because you and your success will always be the reason for the energy and enthusiasm I bring to work each day. 3 Acknowledgement From start to finish, this degree has taken me nearly seven and a half years, and a lot of life happened during that time. I had both of my children and lost my father. My career at VCU Libraries has taken me to new places and roles that I have only dreamed about that required serious time commitments. I put down deeper and deeper roots in the Richmond area, and through it all, my pursuit of the PhD has been a constant and usually manageable companion. Innumerable friends, family, professors, and coworkers helped me make it this far, and although it would be impossible to credit each one by name, I am broadly thankful for the village of people who have encouraged me. I am especially grateful to some specific people without whom this simply could not have happened. Dr. Lisa Abrams, my doctoral advisor and my dissertation committee chair: you’ve guided me through the entirety of my academic program. You have shared your expertise about evaluation and research through multiple courses, an independent study, and my dissertation, and I’ve learned so much from you. You’ve also been a friend, and I thank you for being a part of my life in many important ways. Dr. Jim McMillan, you are another professor extraordinaire in the Research, Assessment, and Evaluation track, and a valuable member of my committee. As my Dissertation Research Seminar professor, you helped bring this study to life as I wrote the first three chapters back in spring of 2018. In addition, your expertise, passion, and warmth over the course of my time in the School of Education have made the program memorable and personal for me. Dr. Pattie Sobczak and Dr. Adai Tefera have both given their time and expertise generously as members of my committee. Pattie, your interest in my doctoral work for the many years that we’ve been colleagues at VCU Libraries has been encouraging and important as I 4 developed this study. Your broad understanding of libraries was key in helping me think through the nature and scope of the study. Dr. Tefera, your willingness to serve as my methodologist, even after you moved onto the University of Arizona, strengthened the study so much, especially when it came to the best sampling approaches and defining the nature of the participant pool. My colleagues at VCU Libraries deserve endless thanks, as their flexibility made my pursuit of this degree possible. I’ve received nothing but encouragement, interest, and overwhelming support from VCU Libraries throughout this journey. It reminds me yet again of how lucky I was to land here more than 10 years ago. And to Dennis Clark, in particular, I owe special thanks. Thank you for being the one who pushed me not just to think about a PhD, but to actually do it, and for being one of my biggest supporters in the process. You encouraged me to take that first step, and you’ve cheered me on through the very end. Thank you for the years of mentorship, friendship, and support. My family and my dear friends, near and far, supported and encouraged me through this process. They reminded me I could do it, even when life was hard or overwhelming, and they were patient when I could not always be present with them as I worked towards this achievement. Don’t worry, y’all – I plan to make that up to you now! Dan: quite simply, you exemplified what it means to be a partner through this process in ways I could not have imagined. You sacrificed much for me to do this, and I will be forever grateful for your support, encouragement, and the sheer number of hours you put in to keep things moving on the home front! Thank you for helping me set what I hope is an incredible example for our daughters. You’ve done exactly the same. My dad, Ronnie Westmoreland, passed away early in my doctoral studies. If he was here today, I know he would be bragging left and right to anyone who would listen about his girl 5 putting “Dr.” in front of her name. I am thankful for all the times he made me feel like I hung the moon, and I wish he was here to see me finish this degree. And finally, I give my deepest and most heartfelt thanks to my mom, Dee Tabb, and my late grandmother, Jane Terry. Both of you have shown me what strong women who surround themselves with supportive people can do. You’ve taught me to be brave, to ask for help, and to give help to others. You have always been the center of my village and my source of inspiration. Anything I achieve is because of you. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................... 12 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. 13 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... 14 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT ................................................................................................................ 16 PRIVACY AS A CORE VALUE OF LIBRARIANSHIP .................................................................................... 17 USER PERSPECTIVES ON SEARCH DATA PRIVACY IN LIBRARIES ........................................................... 20 COMPLEX ATTITUDES ABOUT ONLINE PRIVACY ................................................................................... 21 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................... 23 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH .............................................................................................................. 24 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................... 25 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................................................ 26 OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................. 26 ACADEMIC LIBRARIES, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE RISE OF LEARNING ANALYTICS .......................... 27 LIBRARY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVACY ..................................................................... 29 The American Library Association .................................................................................................... 29 Other professional organization statements ....................................................................................... 33 LIBRARY PRIVACY POLICIES, TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATIONS, AND CHALLENGES .............................. 35 PRIVACY AND EVALUATION IN PRACTICE .............................................................................................. 37 Conservative practices ....................................................................................................................... 38 Evolving practices .............................................................................................................................. 39 Summary of privacy practices and evaluative approaches ................................................................ 42 STUDENT PERCEPTIONS ABOUT PRIVACY OF LIBRARY SEARCH DATA ................................................. 43 Limitations of library search data privacy literature ........................................................................