Author: Deborah Caldwell-Stone
By Davis Erin Anderson, Guest Blogger
New York City’s three library systems — Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, and Queens Library — and Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) are hard at work on a new initiative to bring resources covering digital privacy and data security to the City’s frontline public library staff.
Through NYC Digital Safety: Privacy & Security, more than 1,000 library staff members will receive specialized training on online privacy and digital security. By the end of the year, these staff members will have received online training tailored to meeting the needs of library users. Many will go on to an in-person workshop, where they’ll gain practice in identifying and meeting the needs of patrons in their individual contexts.
This project is generously funded by the City of New York’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer. “Now more than ever, New Yorkers need resources to protect themselves as they access the Internet,” said Miguel Gamiño, Jr., who was New York City’s Chief Technology Officer through May of 2018. “This initiative is a critical component of the City’s mission to safeguard privacy and security as we continue to expand internet access to all New Yorkers. I commend all of the library systems and METRO for launching this incredible program.”
This project will culminate in a set of tools, online and offline facilitation guides, and a convening replete with an art exhibit situated across the city’s library system. NYC Digital Safety: Privacy & Security materials will be available for use by the wider librarian, educator, and technologist communities at the conclusion of this project.
Read more about this initiative here.
Davis Erin Anderson is a project manager and facilitator seeking to demystify the online environment for learners of all backgrounds. As Program Manager at Metropolitan New York Library Council, Davis leads projects, plans events, and teaches workshops that focus on technology, culture, and libraries.
Davis has been a Mozilla Web Literacy Leader, an SLA Rising Star, and a Library Journal Mover Shaker. In 2016, she collaborated Prior to joining the library field, she performed with orchestras and taught music to young adults.
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