LibAnswers: Library Policies

Privacy Statement

Privacy Statement

The privacy of all our users - including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors – will be respected in compliance with Federal and state laws and professional standards.

Specifically, we support and comply with:

• New York State Law
  • [New York State Civil Practice Law & Rules 4509, Chapter 112, Laws of 1988]
• Code of Ethics of American Library Association with respect to confidentiality of library records including circulation of library materials, Interlibrary Loan transactions, reference queries, and course reserve requests.

All library records relating to an individual patron’s use of the Library and its resources are considered confidential. These records may be consulted and used by library staff in the course of carrying out library operations - but will not be disclosed to others except upon request or consent of the library user - or pursuant to subpoena, court order, or otherwise required by law.

Any law enforcement requests for patron records will be referred to Lehman College’s Legal Counsel. To better protect privacy of library patrons - CUNY’s Office of Library Services has adopted procedures that minimize retention of library patron records.

We make every effort to protect each patron’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received – as well as resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted.

However, CUNY Libraries - both individually and collectively – license information resources from commercial vendors. Ideally - in the process of negotiating licenses with vendors - CUNY Libraries endeavor to determine whether licensing language permits circumstances under which the vendor may sell or otherwise make user data available to third parties without permission from the licensing library. In these instances, licensing terms will be renegotiated.

Updated March 2020