Library User Privacy Statement

USU Libraries adheres to requirements of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and applicable sections of the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act regarding the privacy of library users' information.

Data Collection and Use

In order to track usage of library materials and equipment, process requests, or provide services such as online chat, personally identifiable information (PII) is collected from library users and stored in secure library systems. Unless required by law, this information will not be provided to non-USU entities or any other person or organization except the owning patron on the account. To ensure patron privacy, PII will be deleted from an item's checkout history once returned. The only exceptions are items with fines or those regarded as lost on a patron's account. Data collected from online chats is anonymized once transactions are complete.

Additionally, PII may be collected in order to process requests for library materials or provide services such as online chat. Data are stored securely and only information needed to provide a service is collected, and data will never be shared with parties outside of USU. Chat data is anonymized after transactions are complete.

E-resources and External Websites

Access to third-party databases and electronic materials is provided through Utah State University's single sign-on system. Library websites may also link to external websites not operated by USU. The Libraries will not share PII with external parties, but users should be aware that these resources may have their own privacy policies governing the use of their services. Users should take care to understand those policies before providing personal information or linking to Google or other personal accounts. 

Web Analytics

The Libraries use Google Analytics to collect and store usage statistics for library-operated websites. Information such as network location, screen resolution, browser type, as well as which web pages are accessed and where users are referred from (e.g. a search engine or link you follow from another website). This information cannot be used to personally identify you and is collected for the purposes of analyzing and improving online library services. To opt out of sharing this information, simply disable cookies in your browser settings.   

University Assessment

USU Libraries periodically collects data for the purpose of assessing Library and University services and resources and to adhere to federally mandated reporting requirements. PII is not collected unless an individual gives the Library specific consent to do so (see ‘Data Collection and Use’ above). Employees of the Library that work closely with patron data use a transparent, collaborative approach to safeguard data against being used inappropriately.

USU Libraries works closely with the Center for Student Analytics to expose meaningful, data-informed insights into what Library resources help students succeed at USU. Data collected for this purpose does not reveal PII associated with the specific Library resources of services a patron accesses. For more information about this collaboration, please visit the Center for Student Analytics website.

External Websites

Library websites may contain links to external resources operated by non-USU entities. These sites may have their own privacy policy or may have none at all. We urge you to use caution when providing personal information to any of these websites.