The Leatherby Libraries respects the privacy of its students, faculty, staff, and all Chapman community patrons. The Leatherby Libraries endorses the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics, Policy Statement on Confidentiality of Library Records and privacy guidelines, encouraging libraries to:

• Limit the degree to which personally identifiable information is monitored, collected, disclosed, and distributed.
• Avoid creating unnecessary records.
• Avoid retaining records that are not needed for efficient operation of the library, including data-related logs, digital records, vendor-collected data, and system backups.
• Avoid library practices and procedures that place personally identifiable information on public view.¹

The Leatherby Libraries has implemented procedures in order to protect patron privacy and the Library extends this privacy consideration to circulation/reserves records and history, interlibrary loan records and history, and reference consultations, among other areas of library services and resources. However, the Library uses and retains records and personal patron information during the course of conducting library business, for example:

• Checking out library materials.
• Processing overdue notices and fines.
• Conducting extended reference transactions.

The Library’s computers are supported by the University’s Information Systems & Technology Department (IS&T), and IS&T provides a separate privacy policy.²

In addition to the above considerations, the Leatherby Libraries trains each library employee and library student worker on the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to student library records and information in order to ensure patron privacy.

Please direct any concerns regarding patron privacy to the Associate Dean Kevin Ross at kross@chapman.edu



Notes:

1. ALA Website:
   Code of Ethics, located at:
   http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm
   Guidelines for Developing a Library Privacy Policy, located at:
   http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/iftoolkits/toolkitsprivacy/libraryprivacy.cfm#privacyala
   Statement: Policy on Confidentiality of Library Records, located at: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/otherpolicies/confidentialitylibraryrecords.pdf
   
   The Leatherby Libraries supports the California Public Records Act, Cal Gov't Code 6254, 6267 (Deering Suppl 2001), in order to protect individual patron records and deny disclosure of patron information and records to other persons requesting this information, except pursuant to such process, order, or subpoena as may be authorized under the proper federal, state, or local law authority. If the Leatherby Libraries is served with such a legal order or subpoena, the legal documents are to be presented to the University's Office of Legal Affairs for review and processing of the request. Office of Legal Affairs on subpoenas, located at:
   http://www.chapman.edu/legalAffairs/secure/discovery/procedures.asp
   
   

2. See Chapman University’s Privacy Policy (IS&T), located at:
   http://www.chapman.edu/computing/security/privacyPolicy.asp