NotebookLM

Before You Begin: Using NotebookLM With Your Data 

Using the Smith instance of NotebookLM means your content, as well as any Smith data you provide as data sources, stays within the Smith environment. Google will not use that data for training or other purposes. 

As a reminder, you can use Public and Restricted data in Smith's NotebookLM, but not 🚫 Confidential data 🚫 that has not been pre-approved. See Data Security Classifications for the related policy and more information. If you are unsure if your information is confidential or restricted, please request a data security review .

To read more about how NotebookLM uses your data and what controls you have, see the Data Security and Privacy section on this page.  

Sharing Notebooks

Notebooks can be shared. Before sharing notebooks, make sure the individuals you are sharing with are approved to access any data you include. For example, if you create something that includes FERPA data, do not share that notebook with a broader group unless they have the right to see that FERPA data outside of your notebook. 

Chat

• Use the chat box to prompt NotebookLM. See Helpful Tips for using Gemini at work (text) for guidance on creating effective prompts.

• Save your chat results into notes to come back to later, or copy text to paste into outside documents.

Studio

• Select from several options to turn your source data into other formats, including infographics, slide decks, and even audio and videos.

Share

• You can share the notebook just like you would any other Google file, so that others can see what you've created, contribute sources for collaboration, or take quizzes.

  • • Note: Before sharing notebooks, make sure the individuals you are sharing with are approved to access any data you include. For example, if you create something that includes FERPA data, do not share that notebook with a broader group unless they have the right to see that FERPA data outside of your notebook. 

The best way to discover what you can do with NotebookLM is to give it a try!

Resources from Google:

• Meet NotebookLM (video, 5 min) - Quick overview focused on adding sources and using the chat.

• Create a Notebook in NotebookLM (text) - Get started in NotebookLM with step-by-step instructions.

  • • Create and add notes

    • Use Mind Maps

    • Generate Audio Overview

    • Generate Video Overviews

    • Generate Flashcards or Quizzes

    • Generate an Infographic

    • Generate a Slide Deck

LinkedIn Learning

• Master NotebookLM (33 min) - Deeper dive into organizing sources and using the Studio tools.

For Google Workspace for Education users, including Smith community members with active Smith accounts, the privacy policy for NotebookLM is part of the same legal framework as Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Gemini. Because NotebookLM is a Core Service, it includes enterprise-grade data protections. For your convenience, key points are summarized below.

Allowed Data Classifications

• Restricted, Public

Training

Under Smith's Google Workspace for Education license, Google does not use your NotebookLM data to train its AI models. This includes the sources you upload, the queries you ask, and the responses the AI generates.

Data Storage

When using NotebookLM, your data is stored as part of your Google Workspace account. Any notes you create or "pin" from the AI are stored within the specific notebook.

Note that when you import files from Google Drive as source files to a notebook, NotebookLM creates a separate copy of that file to use as a source. This copy is stored within the NotebookLM service, not in your Google Drive.

Data Access and Controls

• How can I access my notebooks and history?

Your NotebookLM interaction history is stored within each individual Notebook. When you open a notebook, you can see your pinned notes and the sources you've uploaded. Unlike Gemini, NotebookLM's chat history is for the length of the interaction or "session"; if you do not "pin" a chat response as a note, the specific conversation history may not be saved once that session is closed.

• How can I delete my notebooks?

You have full control to delete your own sources, individual notes, or entire notebooks at any time from within the NotebookLM app. Deleting a notebook permanently removes all associated data from the service.

Data Privacy

• Who can see my Notebooks? 

Collaboration: Your notebooks are private by default. They are only visible to others if you explicitly use the Share button to invite collaborators.

Google: Google employees and contractors are legally and technically prohibited from reviewing your NotebookLM data.

Smith: Smith IT Google administrators cannot "peek" into your private notebooks.

Audits: If a safety or compliance audit is required, notebook data is subject to the discovery and compliance tools.

• Do the sources I use in my notebooks become part of Smith's Google data that others in the Smith community can query?

No, your notebook sources and information are not visible to other students, faculty, or staff. There is no centralized database where your data is published or made searchable by the Smith community.

References

For further details, refer to: 

• NotebookLM Help Center: Privacy and Security

• Google Workspace for Education Privacy Notice

• Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub