Policies

Privacy policies tell library users the following:

• What data is collected about them?
• What are their data rights?
• How is that data is used, shared, stored, and deleted?
• Who has access to their user information, including third parties?
• These policies also direct users to vendor privacy policies.

Well-written privacy policies give users clarity on how the library and its vendors handle their personal information. Well-written privacy policies inform them about the laws that govern its use and disclosure. All privacy policies should be vetted by a library’s governance and approved by legal council.

Resources

Use these resources to understand third-party privacy policies. Gain the skills to write your own library privacy policy.

Field Guide

• Privacy Policies Field Guide (coming fall 2021)

Sample Privacy Policies

• Public Library Privacy Policies
  • Multnomah County Public Library
  • San Jose Public Library
• Academic Library Privacy Policies
  • Cornell University Library Privacy Policy
    • Library practices on the collection, use, disclosure, maintenance and protection of personally-identifiable information
  • Rutgers University Library

Additional Resources

• Library Freedom Project Privacy Policy Template
• A Practical Guide to Privacy in Libraries by Paul Pedley
• Santa Cruz Public Library GitHub: Display privacy information from vendors.
• Cornell privacy policy web archiving collection