Privacy Statement

Privacy Statement
Adopted April 27, 2016

Confidentiality of information

Each of the Northern New Hampshire Library Cooperative (NNHLC) member libraries has a Confidentiality of Information policy that pledges to protect the privacy of library records. These policies all include the following statements (or close equivalents):

Library circulation records and other records identifying the names of library users are confidential. The library staff and volunteers must protect each patron’s right to privacy with respect to information sought or received, and materials consulted, borrowed, or acquired.
Library records shall not be made available to any agency of local, state, or federal government except pursuant to such process, order, or subpoena as may be authorized under the authority of, and pursuant to, local, state, or federal law.

In addition, NNHLC has a Confidentiality Policy specifically pertaining to patron information that can be accessed by all cooperative libraries, adopted on April 7, 2014.

Confidentiality Policy:

All library staff & volunteers shall sign a confidentiality agreement form stating that patron information shall not be communicated to others by casual conversation or careless treatment of records.

RSA 201-D:11 requires that library circulation records and other records identifying the names of the library users with specific materials are confidential, including records shared by the Northern NH Library Cooperative. Trustees or staff shall not make these records available to any agency of the state, federal or local government without a subpoena or court order and the agreement of the library director, and after review by legal counsel.

Security measures

NNHLC has contracted with ByWater Solutions to provide hosting and support for Koha, the open source software we use for our integrated library system, or library management system. This system is web-based, and is accessed online.

ByWater Solutions has installed NNHLC’s Koha software on servers that are cloud-based Virtual Machines. Backups are performed to on-site and off-site servers managed by ByWater. Access to these servers is encrypted and limited to Bywater staff only.

In addition, in 2016 we purchased and installed SSL (secured sockets layer) certificates on ByWater Solution’s webservers for all websites used to access the NNHLC system: https://staff.nnhlc.bywatersolutions.com, https://cook.nnhlc.bywatersolutions.com, https://jackson.nnhlc.bywatersolutions.com, and https://jackson.nnhlc.bywatersolutions.com. NNHLC will renew these certificates when they expire. SSL provides an encrypted connection between an internet browser and a webserver.

Retention of records

NNHLC has enabled the setting in Koha that allows patrons/borrowers to choose how long their borrowing history is kept in their online account. There are three options: 1. to retain borrowing history indefinitely, 2. to retain borrowing history for the length of time determined by NNHLC, 3. never to retain borrowing history. NNHLC has set one month as the default borrowing history retention period (option 2, above).

In addition, NNHLC has determined that keeping system logs for one year for all borrowing activity allows library staff to track down missing items. For example, when a book is returned damaged, or a case is returned without a disc, it is important that library staff be able to contact the most recent borrower or, in some cases, previous borrowers. Borrowing records will be anonymized in system logs after one month. Borrowing records for patrons that choose to retain their borrowing history indefinitely (option 1, listed above) in Koha will remain available to them individually.

Supporting Documents

Madison Library’s Policy of Use and Confidentiality of Information: http://madisonlibrary-nh.org/WP/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/UseandConfidentiality.pdf

Cook Memorial Library’s Confidentiality of Library Records Policy: http://tamworthlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/IV-B-Confidentiality.pdf

Jackson Public Library’s policy

ByWater Solutions Server and Backup Plan: http://madisonlibrary-nh.org/nnhlc/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ByWater-Backup-and-Security.pdf

Minutes from April 27, 2016 Annual Meeting

Northern New Hampshire Library Cooperative (NNHLC)

27 April 2016

In attendance:

from Cook Public Library: Mary Cronin, Director and Sharon Nothnagle, Trustee
from Madison Public Library: Sloane Jarell, Director and Linda Smith, Trustee
from Jackson Public Library: Lichen Rancourt, Director and Denise Sachse, Trustee.

Call to Order at 10:05 am.

Lichen Rancourt elected as Chair. Sloane Jarell elected as Secretary.

Review of April 6, 2015 meeting minutes

Year in Review:

Mary Cronin said she checked and Koha Fees will stay the same at $1575 next year.
Big Bywater upgrade went through in March. Bywater conference in the Midwest.

Policies

Right now, patron can select their borrowing history be retained indefinitely, never retained or “library preference”
It was decided to leave all patrons as they are now, whether they personally selected their preference or it had been assigned
We will keep circulation history for 1 month (rolling)
Logs will become anonymous (unless otherwise selected) after 1 month
Logs on a whole will be retained for 2 years
These decisions are pending certain answers from Bywater

Reciprocal Borrowing Program/Transfers

Tuesday, the van goes North to South
Friday, the van goes South to North
Lichen requested that Cook and Madison not send new books if Jackson owns the same copy

Old Business

Discussion of other libraries joining the cooperative.

No other business. Adjourning at 11:30 am.

2016 Annual Meeting, 4/27/16 at Jackson Public Library

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Northern New Hampshire Library Cooperative, represented by Directors and Trustees of the Madison Library, Jackson Public Library, and Cook Memorial Library, will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 10 am at the Jackson Public Library in Jackson, NH. The public is welcome to attend.

AGENDA

Northern New Hampshire Library Cooperative
Annual Meeting
April 27, 2016
10 am
Jackson Public Library

CALL TO ORDER

APPOINT CHAIR AND SECRETARY

YEAR IN REVIEW

BYLAWS

POLICIES

-Privacy Policy

RECIPROCAL BORROWING PROGRAM / TRANSFERS

NEW BUSINESS

OLD BUSINESS

OTHER BUSINESS

ADJOURN

Minutes from 2015 Annual Meeting

Northern New Hampshire Library Cooperative (NNHLC)
6 April 2015

In attendance:

from Cook Public Library: Mary Cronin, Director and Anne McGarity, Trustee
from Madison Public Library: Sloane Jarell, Director and Linda Smith, Trustee
from Jackson Public Library: Lichen Rancourt, Director and Kate Curtis-McLane, Trustee.

Call to Order at 2:10pm.

Mary Cronin elected as Chair. Lichen Rancourt elected as Secretary.

Year in Review:

Koha Fees increased. Notification of increase was very late and we requested more notice in the future.
Indieflix was $1000 and we as librarians decided to discontinue.
Bywater updates are coming that will require consortial decisions made. Koha annual conference in Indiana in the summer. Scholarships may be available.

Policies

Discussion of other libraries joining the cooperative. No policy changes necessary at this time.

No other business. Adjourning at 2:51pm.

Time for our first Annual Meeting

Well, it’s been almost a year for the NNHLC, a year of learning and sharing. Our first Annual Meeting will be held on Monday, April 7, 2014 at 12 noon in the John F. Chick Room at the Madison Library. All are welcome to join us. Here is the agenda for the meeting.

CALL TO ORDER
APPOINT CHAIR AND SECRETARY
YEAR IN REVIEW
BYLAWS
POLICIES
NONRESIDENT FEES
RECIPROCAL BORROWING PROGRAM
NEW BUSINESS
OLD BUSINESS
OTHER BUSINESS
ADJOURN

Welcome!

The Northern New Hampshire Library Cooperative’s new Koha catalog will go live on June 3, 2013. We have been working hard to make sure all of our data–catalog, patron accounts, circulation, holds, etc.–have all switched from our existing systems to Koha. Please be patient with us as we manage the learning curve.