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Patron Privacy Policy

Geneva Public Library District (GPLD) seeks to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all who use the library in the pursuit of free speech, thought, and association. GPLD respects and supports an individual’s fundamental right to open inquiry without scrutiny by others.

Right to Privacy

GPLD is committed to protecting personally identifiable information. GPLD will not collect or maintain personal information without consent. The information gathered is used only to provide or improve library service. Library patrons have the right to access their own borrowing information through the Library website or in person. In both instances, a library user will be required to provide proof of identity. Personally identifiable information will not be disclosed except upon a library user’s request or consent.

Confidentiality

GPLD complies with the Library Records Confidentiality Act (75 ILCS 70/1) mandating the confidentiality of all records containing personally identifiable information relating to an individual’s use of the Library and its resources, facilities and services. Confidentiality includes, but is not limited to, circulation of library books, periodicals and other materials, electronic resource searches, interlibrary loan transactions, reference requests and use of audio-visual materials. GPLD will not sell, lease or disclose confidential information to outside parties unless required to do so by law.

Unless otherwise required by law, Library records containing personally identifiable information will not be made available to any agency of state, federal or local government unless a warrant, court order, or other investigatory document is issued by a court of competent jurisdiction that shows good cause and is in proper form. The Library Director or designee is authorized to receive or comply with requests from law enforcement officers. The Library Director will confer with legal counsel before determining the proper response.

Information Collected

The personal information patrons provide to the Library is kept confidential in accordance with the Library Records Confidentiality Act. GPLD will not sell, license, or disclose it to any third-party except those working under contract or as required by law.

GPLD may collect the following personal information to access library services:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Telephone Number
  • Email address
  • Date of Birth
  • Library barcode number
  • Photo
  • Grade
  • School
  • Age
  • Items currently checked-out, requested, canceled holds, and interlibrary loans
  • Overdue items (until returned)
  • Sign-up information for library classes and events

GPLD does not keep a record of patron reading history beyond operational requirements. Once a patron returns an item it is removed from the patron’s account. A patron may choose to turn on the reading history feature in their online account to keep a log of items checked out. Items with late fees will remain on a patron’s account until paid. Third-party vendors may keep a record of a patron’s borrowing history.

GPLD uses Google Analytics to collect data about the use of the District’s website. Here is a link to their Terms of Service. The Library uses this information to make improvements on its website and to track trends. Patron personal information (e.g. name, address, etc.) is not tracked by the District. Whenever possible, GPLD will not track patrons who have enabled the Do Not Track option in their browsers. The Library’s website may collects the following data:

  • Anonymized internet address 
  • Web address of the page from which you linked to our site 
  • Interaction data 
  • Language 
  • Country 
  • State 
  • City 
  • Browser 
  • Operating System (PC & Mobile) 
  • Screen Resolution 
  • Age 
  • Gender 
  • Mobile Device

Any personal information given in email messages, chat sessions, web forms, in-person or telephone reference, or other communications is only used for the purpose for which the patron submitted it and ongoing communication with the patron.

GPLD uses an app that collects the following information in addition to library account specific information:

  • Language
  • Country
  • State
  • City
  • Browser
  • Operating System (iOS or Android)
  • Screen Resolution
  • Type of Mobile Device
  • Anonymized User ID

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is used to check out library materials, keep a record of the library collection, and secure the collection from theft. RFID tags attached to items only contain the barcode number of the item. No personal library patron or transaction information is on the RFID tag.

Information Access

All patron records are confidential. Library records may only be disclosed to:

  • Library staff performing job duties;
  • Cardholders upon proof of identity;
  • Parents or guardians of minor children;
  • Anyone with written consent of the cardholder;
  • Under court order or subpoena; or
  • As required under the Library Records Confidentiality Act, USA PATRIOT Act or other applicable law.

If the library cardholder is under the age of 18, the parent or guardian listed in the library record may be given information about that child’s record. Proof of the parent or guardian’s identity is required through photo identification. GPLD reserves the right to associate (link) the accounts of parents and/or guardians to the accounts of their children under the age of 18.

Adult patrons (age 18 and older) may grant GPLD permission to associate their own account to the account of other designees of their own choosing. In creating these associations, adults give permission to other adults with whom they are linked to use their personal library cards for holds pickup, to check on or pay fees. General checkout on an adult’s card by someone other than the cardholder is not permitted.

All patrons can view and update their personal information. This can be done online via the catalog website or in person. Proof of identity through photo identification is required to update information in person. A username/library barcode and PIN are required to change this information online.

Website and Public Computers

HTTPS

The Library’s website and catalog are encrypted with HTTPS. All communications between a patron’s browser and the Library website are private.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file sent to the browser by a website each time that site is visited. Cookies are stored on a computer and can transmit personal information. Cookies are used to remember information about preferences on the pages that are visited.

A patron can refuse to accept cookies, disable cookies, and remove cookies from their device. However, this may result in a lack of access to some library services. The Library’s servers use cookies to verify that a person is an authorized user. This allows a patron access to licensed third-party vendors and to customize webpages to a patron’s preferences. Cookies obey the privacy settings that a patron has chosen in their browser. GPLD will not share cookie information with external third parties.

Data and Network Security

GPLD uses software programs that monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage. No other attempts are made to identify individual patrons or their usage habits.

Public Computers and Connected Devices

GPLD does not keep a record of patron activities on any public computer or laptop. Any record of browsing history and activities are removed when a patron logs out.

All personally identifiable information is purged immediately upon the end of a public computer reservation. An anonymous log is created that includes only the computer terminal number, reservation time, and duration of the session.

All connected devices a patron borrows from the Library (e.g. tablets, laptops, etc.) have their history cleared by Library staff after a patron returns the device.

Email and RSS Feeds

A patron may choose to subscribe to a variety of mailing lists from the Library. The mailing lists are serviced by MailChimp. See below for information about how GPLD works with this and other third-party vendors.

Using Third-Party Vendors

GPLD enters into agreements with third-parties to provide online services, digital collections, streaming media content, and more. When using some of these services, a patron may also connect with social networks and other users.

Third-party vendors may collect and share a patron’s information, including:

  • Personally identifiable information a patron knowingly provides. This includes: when a patron registers for the site, provides feedback and suggestions, requests information, or creates shared content.
  • Other information that could be used to identify a patron. This includes: a patron’s Internet Address (IP Address), search history, location-based data, and device information.
  • Non-personally identifiable information. This includes: a patron’s ad views, analytics, browser information (type and language), cookie data, date/time of a request, demographic data, hardware/software type, interaction data, serving domains, page views, and the web page a patron visited immediately prior to visiting the site.
  • Other data as described in the vendor’s privacy policy and terms of use.

A patron may choose not to use these third-party vendors if a patron does not accept their terms of use and privacy policies.

GPLD makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the Library’s contracts, licenses, and offsite computer service arrangements reflect its policies and legal obligations concerning patron privacy and confidentiality. The District’s contracts address restrictions on the use, aggregation, sharing, and sale of information, particularly about minors.

GPLD expects vendors to:

  • Follow all privacy related items in the vendor contract and licensing agreements.
  • Conform to the District’s privacy policies.
  • Provide a product which complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
  • Refrain from collecting or sharing additional information about patrons, other than is needed for delivery of the District services provided.
  • Have a publicly posted privacy policy.

Library patrons must understand when using remote or third-party vendor sites that there are limits to the privacy protection the library can provide.

GPLD also suggests links to external websites that are not under contract. A patron is not required to give these sites his/her library card or any other personally identifiable information in order to use their services.

Children's Privacy

GPLD considers the privacy and safety of children to be very important. Personal information collected by the Library is not shared with any other agency or organization. Due to the ease with which children can be induced to divulge personal information on the internet, parents are urged to supervise their children’s use of the internet in the Library.

Video Surveillance

See Security Camera Policy for information on video surveillance in the Library.


Approved 03/2022

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