BiblioCommons Privacy Statement

Last updated: September 22, 2009

Stratford Public Library has entered into an agreement with BiblioCommons to provide a service that will help you track your holds and renewals, find the titles you are looking for, and discover new titles and communities. Stratford Public Library and BiblioCommons share in the belief that privacy is the cornerstone of open and engaged communities, and have implemented the standards described on this page to protect your privacy. By registering for a BiblioCommons account, you agree to the terms of this Statement and our Terms of Use. The Privacy Statement and Terms of Use can be accessed anytime through the links at the bottom of each BiblioCommons page.

Children Under the Age of 13

Because this service is open to children under the age of thirteen, certain measures have been taken to protect their interests. Please read this Privacy Statement to see how children’s information is collected and handled. For complete information about which features of this Service are available to children, please refer to our Terms of Use.

Personal Information

Information in your BiblioCommons account that personally identifies you will be used exclusively by BiblioCommons and your library to deliver the services you request. We will not sell, rent or trade this information.

What personal information is gathered?

BiblioCommons gathers personal information that you provide or choose to import from your library:

• When you register, your name, birth month, and email address are automatically loaded into your account from your library record, or you may be asked to provide them.
• You may also choose to import a list of recently-borrowed titles, if available. Lists of your current loans, due dates, outstanding fines, etc. are displayed from your library record at your request, but this information is not stored on your BiblioCommons account.

How is my personal information used?

BiblioCommons uses your personal information to create a user account in your name, provide the services that you have requested, monitor and improve the service, keep your library record up to date, and customize content.

• Information such as your username, library affiliation(s) and age group may accompany your shared comments or appear on your public profile.
• You may choose to make some of your personally-identifiable information, such as your name, viewable by others.

Contributed Content

You may choose to contribute information through your use of the service such as ratings and comments about titles, lists, and email and other messages. Your ratings, comments and lists may be shared with other users, or you may choose to keep them private.

Non-Identifying Information

BiblioCommons gathers anonymous information from user profiles and preferences in order to improve the quality and scope of the service. This information does not contain any personally-identifiable data.

• Information such as your browser type or IP address helps BiblioCommons to understand how visitors use the service and how it might be improved.
• Data from your account may also be aggregated in an anonymous way.

Information Life-Cycle

Information is stored on the system for as long as it is useful to you or others users, but may be deleted at your request. Note that while information will not be available after deletion, some of that information may persist on memory discs.

• When your Personally-Identifiable Information is no longer required for the purposes stated here or for statutory requirements, it will be deleted. In this circumstance, your ratings, comments and other contributions may be deleted or made anonymous, unless you request that we maintain the information for additional purposes.
• Ratings, comments and personal lists may be edited or deleted by you at any time.
• Messages and chat are logged and archived for a period of time. In the event of complaints regarding violations of the Terms of Use, this type of information may be used by BiblioCommons to investigate.
• Contributed content that other users may respond or contribute to, such as collaborative lists, may be kept indefinitely in association with your username, and may persist after your BiblioCommons account is terminated.
• In the event that Stratford Public Library discontinues its participation in this Service, the library may transfer your information to a new service of a similar nature. In addition, Stratford Public Library may agree to have your information transferred to a successor entity of BiblioCommons or to any entity which purchases substantially all of the assets related to BiblioCommons or a division of BiblioCommons. You will receive notice of any such transfer of your Information.

Cookies

Cookies are small files used to enhance the functionality of websites.

• BiblioCommons may set and access temporary session cookies on your computer in order to make our system easier for you to use. In addition, a more persistent cookie is used to store your user preferences. These files do not contain or transfer any personally-identifiable information.
• You may also choose on the log-in page to save your username in a cookie by checking “remember me.”
• If you wish to be notified when you receive a cookie, you may set your browser to do so.

Managing Your Information

Your personal information belongs to you.

• You may access your information at any time. You may use this online service to alter or delete any of the information contained in your account except for your name, birth information and your library card number(s); please contact your library staff to make changes to these.
• At any time, you may delete your BiblioCommons account. To delete your account, contact the BiblioCommons Privacy Officer at the address below.
• BiblioCommons may send email or display messages on the service that provide you with the choice to take advantage of new features and functionality based on your past activity and stated preferences. To change your preferences for system messaging, please go to My Settings.

External Sites

The Internet is a big place: take care to guard your personally identifying information. This website may link to other websites that collect personal information. We recommend that you review the privacy policies of these sites before providing them with any personal data.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

This statement may change from time to time in response to new laws, or to an evolution in BiblioCommons policies or practices. While we reserve the right to make changes to this statement, we do not anticipate major adjustments to the general approach outlined here. We will make good faith efforts to notify registered users of any significant changes, though we encourage you to check this Statement from time to time for changes. Your continued use of BiblioCommons after a change will signify your acceptance of the new terms.

Comments? Questions? Contact us. privacy@bibliocommons.com

Privacy Officer
BiblioCommons
suite 201, 197 Spadina Avenue
Toronto Ontario M5T 2C8, Canada
1 (647) 436 6381