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Privacy Policy

Approved by the York County Library Board of Trustees on Sept. 12, 2024

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Introduction

York County Library takes steps to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all library patrons, no matter their age. We are compliant with the South Carolina Code of Laws, Section 60-4-10, which states that “confidential records may not be disclosed except to persons acting within the scope of their duties in the administration of the library or library system or persons authorized by the library patron to inspect his records, or in accordance with proper judicial order upon a finding that the disclosure of the records is necessary to protect public safety, to prosecute a crime, or upon showing of good cause before the presiding judge in a civil manner.”

 

Types of Information Collected

Information that York County Library collects and stores about library patrons includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and birth dates.

 

Method of Information Collection

York County Library collects patron information in three ways: information provided directly by patrons; from automatically collected network logs; and through cookies.

 

Information we may collect from patrons through our public computers or Wi-Fi includes:

 

  • Records of electronic access, such as the library card used to log onto library public computers

  • The address (IP) of the computer or Internet provider

  • The date and time the patron accessed our site

  • The pages that are accessed and how the patrons navigate the site

  • The Internet address of the website that referred the patron to our site

 

Purpose of Data Collection

York County Library uses patron information for:

 

  • Registering for a library card

  • Maintaining records of materials checked out, charges owed, or payments made

  • Tracking requests for interlibrary loan or reference services (e.g., the library’s “Contact Us” and “Ask-A-Librarian” online forms)

  • Sign-up information for library events and programs

 

Personal information is collected to facilitate access to library resources, materials, or services. In addition, statistical data is collected about library card registrants and their library use to allow for planning our collections and services, and to enable the library to effectively report statistics on library use as required by federal, state, local, and private funding bodies.

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Data Security Measures

York County Library takes reasonable steps to ensure data security. We protect personally identifiable information by electronically purging or manually shredding it once it is no longer needed for library business purposes, whenever possible. We have invested in appropriate technology to protect the security of personally identifiable information while it is in the library’s possession. We take steps to remove personally identifiable information from aggregate summary data. We regularly remove cookies, browsing history, cached fields, or other computer and Internet use records that are placed on our computers or networks.

 

In cases when library users leave the Library’s site to visit another, users are encouraged to become familiar with the privacy statement of each site they visit. Third parties are not bound by library confidentiality statutes or other laws protecting the privacy of user records. For these reasons, neither the library nor the library card user can be certain that confidentiality will be adequately protected. The library cannot be responsible for user privacy when visiting outside websites.

 

Data Sharing

York County Library will not sell, lease, distribute, or disclose a patron’s email address, postal address, phone number, borrower record, or other personal information for non-library purposes to outside parties unless required by law. We will not share or sell a patron’s consent for SMS messages and phone numbers collected for SMS messages to any third parties under any circumstances, nor will we ever disclose a child’s personal information without written approval from a parent or legal guardian.

 

User Rights

It is the library cardholder’s responsibility to notify the library immediately should their card be lost or stolen, or if they believe someone is using their card or card number without permission.

 

Library patrons may access their personally identifiable information held by York County Library and are responsible for keeping that information accurate and up-to-date.

 

Parents, guardians, or caretakers of a child under age 17 who wish to obtain access to a child’s library records, including the number or title of materials checked out or overdue, must provide the child’s library card or card number.

 

Contact Information

If you have a question or concern about our handling of your personally identifiable information or this policy, you may contact the Library Director. A response will be made in a timely manner and may be prefaced with a review of practices and procedures.​

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