St. Lawrence University Libraries Privacy and Confidentiality Policy


Do the SLU Libraries keep personal information about me and my research activities?

Yes. Some personal information about patrons affiliated with St. Lawrence University is received automatically from the Registrar's Office for the purpose of creating and maintaining library accounts. This includes:

- Your name
- Your address and phone number
- Your SLU ID number
- Your e-mail address

Community members not affiliated with St. Lawrence University are required to supply similar information when applying for a library card. This information is used in the libraries by authorized staff with password access to maintain library accounts and perform day-to-day library functions.

The SLU libraries keep a record of items from our collections that are currently charged out to library users. They do not keep a permanent record of items borrowed by any individual once these materials have been returned unless overdue fines or fees have been generated from the loan. Fine records, which include the titles of materials borrowed, can remain associated with your account for as long as one year after the date on which we receive payment.

Requests made through Interlibrary Loan for photo copies of materials not held by the SLU libraries are retained for a period of three years, in accordance with the 1978 CONTU guidelines, subsection 108(g)(2).


Will the SLU Libraries share personal information about me or my library account with anyone?

No. The St. Lawrence University Libraries respect the privacy of our library users, and New York State Civil Practice Law and Rules (Article 45, Section 4509) prohibit us from sharing information about you and your use of library resources with any other person or entity except as required by court order. We apply this policy to all library resources regardless of their format or means of delivery as well as all services offered by the libraries.

Under ordinary circumstances, library staff are not permitted to:

- Share personal information about any library user
- Provide a list of materials currently checked out to any library user
- Reveal the name of a person who has any particular item checked out
- Identify or describe the person who is using a particular item

The Libraries' website contains links to websites and databases that are not maintained by St. Lawrence University. The SLU libraries are not responsible for the privacy policies of these external sites, and cannot be responsible for the privacy of our users who disclose personal information while using outside websites.


How does the USA Patriot Act impact library confidentiality?

The USA Patriot Act, which became law on October 26, 2001, changed a number of federal laws governing criminal procedure and the gathering of intelligence. Among other provisions, the Patriot Act makes it much easier for the FBI and law enforcement agencies to gain access to personal information. Agents no longer need to show probable cause to obtain a warrant; they need only claim that the information they seek is related to investigations of terrorist activity. This is a concern and a challenge to libraries, where the patron's right to privacy has always been an important issue.

The Patriot Act allows federal agents to obtain search warrants for "any tangible thing." In a library setting, this means that staff may be required to produce and hand over items such as books, papers, floppy disks, or computer hard drives. The FBI may also require the library to produce circulation records or Internet use records, and to cooperate with the monitoring of electronic communications sent through the library's computer network.

How will the SLU Libraries handle inquiries from law enforcement agencies?

In the event that an FBI agent or other law enforcement official presents a court order for the production of patron records or other items, or a court order authorizing the installation and use of a pen register or trap and trace device on communication services provided by the libraries, library staff will notify both their department head and the University Librarian.

Law enforcement officials will be referred to the Academic Dean's Office, which handles all such requests. Staff will not turn over any information or library materials until the Academic Dean's Office has reviewed the matter and, in all likelihood, sought advice from the University's legal counsel.

Library staff members who are aware of any search warrant cannot legally reveal its existence to anyone. Therefore, library staff cannot notify patrons that they are the subject of investigation or that their library records may have been produced or turned over to law enforcement authorities.


For more information, consult the following sources:

1978 CONTU guidelines:
http://www.cni.org/docs/infopols/CONTU.html

New York State Civil Practice Law governing library privacy:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?cl=16&a=36

USA Patriot Act:
http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS17579

American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom:
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/Intellectual_Freedom3/Default622.htm


Revised 6/2003


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