Library Surveillance System At Heart Of Princeton Council Debate

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Council tackled the popular debate of privacy vs. security during its meeting Monday night. The debate centered around a video surveillance system at the library. The library is asking for $275,000 from council to upgrade the system as part of its capital budget.

Councilwoman Heather Howard said library patrons don’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy when in public places, according to Planet Princeton. Councilwoman Jo Butler said she’d like to know who has access to the surveillance videos, and believes more legal research needs to be done on the issue.

According to the American Library Association, libraries can’t be held accountable for a person’s face being seen, but should take steps to protect their privacy. For example, the subject of their search interest is protected as private by the library.

In 2011, the King County Library System in Seattle, which serves about 1.3 million patrons, removed its security surveillance system over a concern that providing security video to law enforcement agencies compromised patron privacy, according to the Seattle Times.

The library felt the surveillance system had little or no impact on crime, which coincides with a general belief among researchers in both the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a published research paper on the issue.

Council passed the proposed ordinance on introduction with a 3-1 vote, according to the report. The public hearing and final vote is set for July 10.