Online Privacy and Access to Information Statement

Online Privacy and Access to Information Statement

Introduction

The Peace Library System is a consortium of 46 public libraries.  This statement addresses your online privacy and access to information through the Peace Library System headquarters' computer system (ILS), website and Wi-Fi. 

The Peace Library Board and Peace Library System staff are subject to the Libraries Act, the Libraries Regulation, and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP), and uphold the CFLA’s Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries.

The Peace Library Board’s bylaws and policies are publicly available, including its Confidentiality policy, FOIP bylaw, Data Security policy, and its Internet and Electronic Mail Acceptable Use policy.

Collection and Disclosure of Personal Information

The System only collects the amount of personal information needed to conduct library services and programs.  Personally identifiable information contained in the patron record includes:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number(s)
• Email address

Patron records with charges below the defined threshold are purged after they have been expired for two years.

The System does not collect personal information for commercial marketing or distribution to private organizations.  The System will only disclose personal information:

1. to law enforcement in response to a court order, such as a warrant, subpoena, or other legal compulsion.
2. in partnership with other Alberta libraries and library systems for the purposes of sharing materials under conditions defined in existing resource sharing agreements and programs (e.g. interlibrary loan agreements, TAL Card, ME Libraries), collecting fees or fines, and retrieving borrowed materials.
3. for the purpose of contacting next of kin or emergency response personnel in the case of an emergency.

Tracking and Security

External Links – the System’s website links to other websites and eResources that may collect personal information.  Users should review the privacy policies of these sites before providing them with personal data. 

Usage Statistics – the System uses Google Analytics to discover usage of the System’s and our libraries’ websites.  Google Analytics uses cookies. Users may read Google Analytics’ policies.

Cookies – When you visit a website it may deposit a piece of data, called a web cookie, with the temporary web browser files on your computer.  If you wish, you can change the settings on your web browser to deny cookies, or to warn you when a site is about to deposit cookies on your hard drive.

The System subscribes to various databases found under the eResources tab of the System’s and our libraries’ websites.  The administrative software of the databases may identify individual patron barcodes with specific titles read, however the System only uses the information anonymously to aggregate usage by patron’s registered library.  The System does not analyze individual patron usage. Users may read the databases’ privacy policies on their home pages.

The System utilizes Simply Reports software to pull data from the ILS in order to create custom reports and to assist with identifying recent borrowers of a lost or damaged library item.  This information can only be drawn for the last five borrowers of an item and is only used for the stated purpose of retrieving missing pieces, missing items, and to invoice for damage or loss.

Encryption – the System’s website links patrons to their My Accounts in TRACpac and TAL Online for borrowing purposes.  These consortia use encryption during the login process/transmission of a patron’s library card, username, and PIN. 

Reading History – Patrons can save their reading histories on TRAC and can create public or private readings lists on TAL Online.  These lists are private unless the patron chooses to share them, and the System will not share these lists, except when in response to a law enforcement court order, such as a warrant, subpoena, or other legal compulsion. 

Web Server – The System’s website is externally hosted with Linode.  Users may refer to Linode’s Privacy policy. 

Wi-Fi and Firewall:  When connecting to the System’s Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi portal temporarily logs the IP address of the user’s device.  The System’s firewall does not gather personal information.

Parental Responsibility for Minors

Peace Library System does not act in loco parentis. Parents and legal guardians take responsibility for what their children access on and through the System’s website. No age restrictions or filters apply to the System’s databases, eResources or links to external sites, and the System’s Internet access is not filtered. 

Programs and Events

Online Forms and Electronic Communication with System Staff – The System may provide online forms for facilitating services or resource acquisition suggestions.  These forms will require some user personal information.  The System will gather only the personal information necessary to facilitate the registration or request, and the personal information will not be used for any other purpose.  Personal information provided to System staff through any other electronic communications, such as email, text, etc. will be used only to facilitate the request submitted. 

Photographs – the System posts a quarterly newsletter to its website, which may contain photographs from its Board’s activities, or its member libraries’ public programs and events.  Attendees should speak to System or Library staff in advance if they do not wish to have photographs of themselves appear in the System’s quarterly newsletter.

Social Media

The System may provide access to social media.  Users posting comments to the System’s social media should be aware of the public nature of such posts and of their responsibility to exercise caution when sharing personally identifiable information over social media.