Library Policy in the Digital Era: Balancing Open Access, Privacy, and Copyright

Abstract

The digital transformation of libraries has intensified policy tensions between Open Access, user privacy, and copyright protection. While digital technologies enable broader and faster dissemination of knowledge, they also introduce new risks related to data surveillance, vendor dependency, and restrictive intellectual property regimes. This study examines library policy in the digital era by analyzing how libraries navigate competing normative demands within digital knowledge governance. Using a qualitative descriptive–analytical approach grounded in conceptual and policy-oriented analysis, the study draws on academic literature and regulatory discourses related to Open Access, information ethics, and digital copyright management. The findings reveal that libraries increasingly operate within asymmetrical power structures that constrain their ability to fully uphold principles of privacy and equitable access. Open Access initiatives, although normatively progressive, face structural limitations arising from commercial publishing models and fragmented policy frameworks. The study concludes that balancing Open Access, privacy, and copyright requires a shift from compliance-based governance toward ethically grounded and institutionally assertive library policies. Recognizing libraries as active normative actors is crucial for sustaining democratic and inclusive knowledge dissemination in the digital era.