Privacy Guidelines for
British Columbia Public Libraries

Public libraries in British Columbia fall under the definition of "local public bodies" under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). As such, libraries are responsible for protecting personal information in accordance with the provisions of FOIPPA.

These Guidelines provide information to public libraries and do not constitute legal advice. As a public body under FOIPPA, each public library is responsible for its own compliance with FOIPPA and should use its own judgment in making decisions with respect to its compliance. Libraries should consider the privacy protection requirements in FOIPPA merely as minimum standards required. Any amendments that may be made to FOIPPA after May 2006 have not been anticipated nor are they reflected in the Guidelines.

Detailed Table of Contents

1. Introduction

   1. B.C. Libraries

   2. Canada & B.C. laws protecting personal information

      1. B.C.’s FOIPPA for public sector organizations

      2. B.C.’s PIPA for private organizations

      3. Canada’s Privacy Act for government institutions

      4. Canada’s PIPEDA for private organizations

   3. Purpose of Guidelines

   4. How to use the Guidelines

      1. "She", "her" or "herself"

      2. References within the Guidelines

      3. Definitions

   

    

2. Registration

   1. Collecting personal information

      1. Only collect personal information that is required

      2. Only by trained employees and volunteers

      3. Best practices re patron ID

      4. On-line registration

      5. Collecting ID numbers and references for debt collection

      6. Recording other family members’ personal information

   2. Information individuals need to know when personal information is collected

      1. When registering using on-line or paper registration forms

      2. When registration information is input directly into the system

      3. Privacy policies & procedures

   3. Children

      1. Collecting children’s personal information

      2. Parent/guardian authorization

   4. Home service

   5. Non-residents

   6. Personal information for marketing or fundraising

   

    

3. Circulation

   1. Only authorize employees & volunteers who need access

   2. Computer screens

   3. Receipts showing materials borrowed

   4. Sharing information with friends or family

   5. Family or friends using another patron’s card

   6. History of what a patron borrowed

      1. Parent’s access to child’s borrowing history

      2. Home Service patrons’ borrowing history

   7. History of who borrowed an item

   8. Books on hold

   9. Home Service

   10. Paper book cards

   11. Patron cards held by library

   12. Unreturned materials

       1. Automatic overdue notification

       2. Retention of information

       3. Children

       4. Collection agencies

       5. Communication with other libraries

   13. Faxing or emailing personal information

   14. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

   

    

4. On-line Services

   1. Registration on-line

   2. On-line reference questions

   3. Outside databases

   

    

5. Internet/Computer Access

   1. Notice

   2. Logs, sign-up sheets & registration forms

      1. Logs, sign-up sheets & registration forms

      2. Log of users

      3. Sign-up sheets

      4. Computer use registration forms

      5. Destroying logs, sign-up sheets and registration forms

   3. History log

   4. Back-ups

   5. Surveillance of computer area

   

    

6. Reference Questions

   1. In person

   2. Electronically

      1. Emailed to library

      2. On-line to the library through its own website

      3. On-line through an outside service provider

   3. Questions referred to other libraries or resources

   

    

7. Employee & Volunteer Personal Information

   1. Surveillance

   2. Work contact information

   3. Pseudonyms

   

    

8. Personal Information Access & Correction

   1. Access to routine information

   2. Access to non-routine information

   3. Correction of personal information

   4. Children

   5. Others (employees, volunteers, donors)

   

    

9. Disclosure of Personal Information

   1. Family & friends

   2. Police

   3. Social workers and school counsellors

   4. Collection agencies

   5. Other libraries

   

    

10. Records Retention & Disposal

    1. In general

    2. Back-ups

    3. Borrowing history

    4. Book/resource history

    

     

11. Outside Service Providers

    1. Services provided on behalf of the library

    2. Referrals to services or organizations outside the library

       1. On-line services

       2. Collection agencies

    3. Janitorial or other services

    

     

12. Security

    1. Authorized employees and volunteers

    2. Confidentiality agreements

    3. Training

    4. Technology

    5. Physical security

    6. Surveillance

    

     

13. Miscellaneous

    1. Disclosure, storage or access outside Canada

    2. Library system changes

    3. Objectionable behaviour of patrons

    4. Room rentals

    5. Donor personal information

    6. Research

    

     

14. Policies & Procedures

    1. Privacy policies

       1. General

       2. Website

    2. Procedures – Instructions to employees & volunteers

       1. Training

       2. Communication of policies to patrons

       3. FOI/Privacy Officer

    3. Personal Information Directory (PID)

    4. Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

    

     

15. Appendix I – Additional Resources

    1. Legislation

    2. Helpful contact information

    3. Helpful documents

    

     

16. Appendix II – Sample Privacy Clauses

    1. Authority to collect personal information

    2. Registration form

    3. Un-secure communication from website

    

     

17. Appendix III – Sample Website Privacy Policy

18. Appendix IV – Sample General Privacy Policy

19. Index

Please send any questions or comments to PLSB@gov.bc.ca