Library Student Worker Guide: Security & Confidentiality

JENKS LIBRARY CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT
The Jenks Library provides information resources, research assistance, and a welcoming environment for individual and collaborative learning in support of the curriculum and mission of Gordon College.

“Librarians must protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.” Code of Ethics, American Library Association, 2008.

As a library staff employee (including student employees) of the Jenks Library at Gordon College, including, but not limited to the areas of Access Services, Interlibrary Loan, Reference or Technical services, you will have access to programs that contain confidential information such as the address and phone numbers of library patrons. It is unethical and illegal to release circulation records or Interlibrary Loan requested information to any individual representing an agency of federal, state, or local government, or to any other person**.  It is your responsibility to preserve the confidential nature of these files by:

• Never discussing confidential information with unauthorized persons outside of library staff.
• Never releasing a patron’s address or phone number to anyone – especially not over the phone.
• Not releasing records or information that could identify names of patrons to anyone.
• Never providing confidential information to a third party by allowing them to observe computer screens, overhear conversations related to confidential information, or obtain information from a discarded document containing confidential information.
• Shredding all discarded papers and information containing confidential material.
• Blacking out names and confidential information on printed library records that are retained for statistical purposes.

Confidential Information includes:

• Circulation records showing use of specific library materials by named persons.
• Any records linking borrowers to material they borrowed or information they requested.
• Information of a personal nature such as, but not limited to, ones that are kept in a personnel, medical or similar file including financial statements.
• Information from reserve and other checkout records, interlibrary loan records, or notices to borrowers.

Under the law, you are not allowed to tell any person the name of a patron who has any library materials checked out. You may not share personal information with any person.

*Special Note:

• Student workers are not authorized to make any records available to any inquiries, including law enforcement.
• If approached by a law enforcement officer with a search warrant or served with a subpoena immediately contact the Circulation Manager.  If neither is available, contact the Gordon Police.

If you have a question about what private information can be released you should refer the question to the Director of Library Services, your supervisor, or another professional librarian.

Library Confidentiality Statement adapted with permission from George-Fox University Libraries, 2019

JENKS LIBRARY SECURITY GATES

The Jenks Library has security gates to prevent theft of library materials, but the security gates are only as effective as the person at the circ desk.

Please follow these steps if the security gates alarm sounds as someone is leaving the library:

1. First, give patrons the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time they just forgot they had a library item on them.
   Ask them if they might have forgotten to check something out or accidentally gathered up a library magazine or journal with their papers. If yes, no problem! Check out the material to them.
2. Determine if other items in their position could be causing the problem. 
   If they do not have library material, but the alarm is still going off ask if they have materials from other libraries, or new books from a bookstore. You can mention that some stores use the same security system we do. If they do have a book from a bookstore or another library, make certain it is not one of our library books, desensitize it and ask them to go through security again.
3. Process of elimination. 
   In alarm continues to ring after steps 1 and 2. Try to isolate what is causing the alarm to go off. Ask students to go through the gate without their backpack. If the alarm doesn't sound, you know it's something in there. Ask to see any books, magazines, or journals they might have and check to see if they are library material. If magazines or journals, keep them at the circ desk.  If they are library books, check if they are checked out.  If they are checked out, desensitize the books and let them go through security again.

Common items that will set off the alarm:

• Materials that are checked out, but we forgot to desensitize.
  This is an easy one because the alarm will sound right away. Apologize, take the materials back and desensitize. 
• Magazines/Journals
  Occasional patrons will walk out with a periodical in their hands by accident. We do not circulate periodicals. Kindly remind them about this and ask for it back. 
• Books from other libraries or bookstores.
  Yes even books from elsewhere can set off the alarm. Offer to run their books through the desensitizer to see if that solves the problem. 

Most of the time, the problem will be one of these issues.  If you have been unable to determine what is triggering the alarm, please escalate the issue to a librarian or library staff person.