Monroe County Public Library Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 10, 2020

Monroe County Public Library (“MCPL” or “Library”) is committed to protecting user privacy. This Policy explains what information we collect from you and why. By using our website, visiting a Library location and/or utilizing other services we provide, you agree to this policy.

What information does MCPL collect?

We collect and keep information about you when you sign up for a library card, use Library services and via our use of Google Analytics, which collects information about your interaction with our website.

The Library catalog can be accessed via the Library website or at any Library location. Users can login to their user account and view materials currently checked out or request new items for checkout. This account also provides user access to the system we use to maintain the information you provide when you obtain your library card.

User-Provided Information: When you obtain a library card, we ask you to provide certain information. We offer you the opportunity to review, update, change or delete this information by logging into your user account, or by visiting or contacting any Library location. If you deactivate your user account, you will no longer be able to request materials, check out materials, or use the external resources provided via the Library website. You may still access all of these resources as a visitor to any Library location, but only within the location. The information we collect is explained below.

Personal Information: This is personally identifiable information, such as your name, physical address, email address, phone number, Library barcode and other similar information.
Residency Verification: We collect this personally identifiable information from your Driver’s License, government-issued identification, or the other proof of residency you provide when you obtain your library card. See the list of acceptable forms of proof of residency for more information.
Login Credentials: This is any username or password you provide as part of the process to create an online user account that allows you to view your Library record at any time.
Library Record: This is the information related to your use of Library materials. The information we collect and keep includes your current material checkouts, current and historical material requests (holds and interlibrary loan), and a record of those materials associated with both current and historical fees or fines charged to your account (paid or unpaid). The system we use provides us with the option to keep a record of your previous checkouts, regardless of fees or fines, for those patrons who prefer to do so. We never do this without your express consent. Please contact us or visit any location if you have any questions.

We only keep the information described in the examples above as long as needed to provide you with our services.

The Library’s website offers access to a number of external resources, such as research databases and resources for study and entertainment. Links to these sites are labeled “Visit Resource” and take users to an external website. Many of these external websites require you to provide your library card barcode and password to access materials. We do not share your information with these sites, and providing your barcode and password allows confirmation of your permission to access available materials. However, users should read the privacy statements at these websites to determine their specific practices.

Information Collected Automatically by Google Analytics: When you use the Library website, the Library catalog or our Ask a Librarian service, Google Analytics automatically captures and saves information about your usage. We use this information for the purpose of making our website more accessible to our users. Google Analytics collects:

Your Internet Protocol (IP) address
Your geographic location
The type of web browser and the electronic device you used
The date and time you visited the website, and the length of time you spent viewing the site
How you arrived at our website, such as via search engine results
The specific pages that you viewed on our website

Google Analytics also provides this helpful Information for Visitors of Sites and Apps Using Google Analytics. Google Analytics can be disabled using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or other available browser extensions and products.

Google Analytics and Cookies: According to Google’s Information for Visitors of Sites and Apps Using Google Analytics, “Google Analytics collects first-party cookies, data related to the device/browser, IP address and on-site/app activities to measure and report statistics about user interactions on the websites and/or apps that use Google Analytics.” and “The information stored in the local first-party cookie is reduced to a random identifier (e.g., 12345.67890).”

Library Computers and WiFi: If you are using a Library computer, we currently only collect information regarding the time any user spent at any computer workstation and no personally identifying information. All other information, such as search history, any websites visited, and downloads or documents viewed or worked on, is immediately deleted when the anonymous user session is terminated. If you are using our public WiFi network, we collect the MAC address and name of your WiFi device.

Social Media and Email: This Policy includes the potential collection or storage of any identifying information available to us if you post content to our social media pages, or contact us via email, website form, or social media. Please consider using the Ask a Librarian service to contact us if you wish to remain anonymous.

Legal Requests: If we receive a valid subpoena, warrant, or court order, we will share the information described above only if the law requires us to do so, and only with knowledge and consideration of privacy laws applicable to libraries.

For more information

If you have questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy and practices, please contact us or visit any library location.

Social Media Policy

This Social Media Policy (“Policy”) establishes the policy and practices addressing the use of social media for official Monroe County (“‘County”) business by elected officials, employees, and officers and offers policy information for the public’s use of social media for County business. For purposes of this Policy, “‘Social Media” means and includes websites and applications that enable users to create, post, convey, or otherwise share information, ideas, messages. text, images, GIFs, pictures, audio, videos, or other content (collectively “Content”) which includes but is not limited to Facebook Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr, Nextdoor. and YouTube. This Policy shall govern and supersede all previous policies and practices on the subject of the County’s use of Social Media. Any questions regarding this Policy or its application should be directed to the County’s Public Information Officer.

The County’s Public Information Officer is designated to create, maintain, and monitor the County’s Social Media. The Public Information Officer shall provide access information to the County Administrator and will regularly monitor the Social Media accounts for compliance with this policy.

The purpose of the County’s use of Social Media is to increase and promote public awareness and maintain open and professional communications amongst the County and the public.

The County’s intent in the use of Social Media is not to create a public forum, but instead to provide a means to disseminate County information to educate and inform the public through the effective and inexpensive communication tools of Social Media in compliance with applicable open meetings (“Sunshine Law'”) and Public Records Laws.

Social Media may contain threaded discussions, chat rooms, listservs, and other communication forums. These limited public forums are provided to allow members of the public to share ideas and information pertaining to certain issues affecting the County. While the County encourages users to interact through these limited public forums on the specific issues presented, the County expects members to affirm that they will interact in an appropriate manner as set forth below. The County does not agree with or endorse every comment that users may post, at their own risk, on any of its websites.

The following is Prohibited Content and may be, but is not obligated to be, removed, hidden. archived. or edited by the County:

Content that is obscene, vulgar, or explicit including masked words (***), acronyms and abbreviations, or are abusive, threatening, hateful, or intended to defame any person, business, organization or governmental agency.
Content intended to intimidate, humiliate, threaten, or assault others.
Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination of any kind.
Content that is clearly off-topic, disruptive, random, or unintelligible.
Content that is fraudulent or deceptive and intended to mislead.
Content that is intended to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems.
Spam, advertising, solicitations or includes links to other sites.
Content that promotes products, non-county services, political organizations, or campaigns.
Content that violates or appears to violate a legal ownership interest of any person or entity, including (but not limited to) matters or items that are or may be subject to copyright, patent or trademark protection.
Illegal conduct or encouragement of illegal activity.
Hyperlinks to third-party websites, except as the County deems appropriate in accordance with the Social Media Policy.
Content that violates any policies of Monroe County.

The use of certain communication forums may be for a particular time frame. Once the particular discussion is deemed closed by the County, the forum may be closed and archived.

The County strives to post accurate and relevant Content, but does not guarantee the accuracy of any information posted on its Social Media and assumes no liability for damages resulting from any inaccuracies. The County does not guarantee that its Social Media will be uninterrupted, permanent, or error-free. The County reserves the right to discontinue Social Media at any time.

Posted September 10th, 2020