Privacy Notice for Libraries

In order to provide Library Services to you, we collect and hold some personal information about you. This will include:

• your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth/age range;
• records of items borrowed;
• records of items requested;
• any fines incurred.

We need to use this information so that we can provide library lending services to you and the people of Powys as part of the Council's public services.

How we use this information

If you give us your email address or phone number, we will contact you, by your preferred method, to let you know when loans are due back, or items you have requested are ready for collection.

Unless you have given us explicit consent, we will not send marketing emails or newsletters.

We use your date of birth so that you are given the correct borrower account type e.g. Child or Adult, and this controls what you can borrow, and whether we fine for any overdue items.

Who can see this information

The data we hold about you is held on a secured shared database with other Welsh local authority library services, but your information will only be used to provide library services to you within Powys Libraries.

The supplier of our Library Management software system may also have access to your data, this will only ever be used in the context of administering and supporting the system.

We will not normally share information from our Library Management System with other organisations without your consent, unless we are required to do so by law, for public safety, or to prevent the risk of harm.

Accuracy of our data

It is important that the information we hold about you is accurate. If any of your details change, please contact us as soon as possible so we can update your records.

Your membership period lasts for 3 years, with automatic renewal on your next visit to the library, at which point we will ask you to re-confirm your details.

We will remove your data if you do not use our services for 2 years after expiry date, unless there are unreturned loans on your record.

Information for users of library computer services

When you use library computers we record the date and time of your computer use, along with your name or library card number.

We use this info to manage library computer bookings.

Because we offer access to the internet we have a responsibility to prevent indecent, illegal or threatening behaviour. Our Acceptable Use Policy is displayed at the start of every computer session, and is available here.

If we believe that internet use is in contravention of our Acceptable Use Policy, we may use the information we hold about your session (date and time) to request a list of the websites you visited.

If we receive a request by the Police Service we may also provide details of session times and websites visited.

Your personal information will normally be removed from our computer management system after one year. If you have been suspended from access to our library services, your details may remain in our database beyond this period in order to prevent further access.

Further Information

This information on this page describes the data held by the library service. For more information on how Powys County Council secures your personal data, including your rights as a data subject, please see our corporate Privacy Notice