Community Corner

Library District Changes Privacy Policy

New regulations bring district in line with state statutes.

The St. Charles City-County Library District Board of Trustees voted Monday night to change the way it handles the personal information of library patrons. 

The board voted to change the district's policy on publicly accessible reserves. Currently the information is searchable via the patron's last name. The library will now use a combination of library card numbers with letters from the patron's first and last name.

Each patron will be given their specific identification information, but it won't be obvious to others at the self-pickup reserve desks who held the book in reserve.

Find out what's happening in O'Fallonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The library will move immediately toward changing circulation software and book wrappers with the goal of having all the changes made by July 1 at all branches. The actual changes will take only a few weeks, but the soft rollout will allow library staff to work out kinks while being in compliance with the new privacy regulation. 

The change comes after a question was raised about the privacy of library records and when/how the district would share information if requested. The new policy, according to Trustee President Greg Dohrman, gives a clear definition of what a library record is.

Find out what's happening in O'Fallonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We can refuse to release any information with the name of a library customer on it — the name alone is enough to withhold information," he said. 

The previous policy on the privacy of library record was adopted on Sept. 14, 1981. The new policy changes the term circulation records with library user records. It also adds a definition of the term library user records from Missouri Revised Statute 182.815.

The new policy reads as follows:

  1. The library user records of the St. Charles City-County Library District are confidential regardless of the source of inquiry.
  2. Library user records shall not be made available to anyone except pursuant to such process, order or subpoena as may be authorized by law, or in response to a written request of the person identified in that record.
  3. Upon receipt of the such process, order or subpoena, consultation shall be made with the Library District's attorney to determine if such process, order, or subpoena is in good form and if there is a showing of good cause for its issuance.
  4. If the process, order, or subpoena is not in proper form or if good cause has not been shown, insistence shall be made that such defects be cured before any records are released. 
  5. Any threats or unauthorized demands concerning library user records shall be reported to the director of library district and to the Board of Trustees of the District.
  6. Any problems relating to the privacy of library user records which are not provided for in the above five paragraphs are to be referred to the director or deputy director of the Library District.
  7. For purposes of this policy, "Library User Records" is defined as any document, record, or other method of storing information retained, received or generated by the library that identifies a person or persons as having requested, used, or borrowed library material, and all other records identifying the names of library users. The term "library user records" does not include non-identifying material that may be retained for the purpose of studying or evaluating the circulation of library material in general.

The board met at the  in St. Charles.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from O'Fallon