Privacy Policy
Protecting user privacy and confidentiality had been an integral part of the mission of public libraries. Both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution provide guarantees of confidentiality and privacy. Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library (MN-NPL) protects the privacy and confidentially of all individuals, children as well as adults. MN-NPL does NOT disclose or distribute, users’ names, addresses (postal & e-mail), phone numbers, borrower records, computer use records or other personal information to anyone unless required to do so pursuant to a court order, subpoena or where otherwise required by law.
Section 428 of The Library Code (P.L.324), 24 P.S. covers the confidentiality of library records.
“Records related to the circulation of library materials which contain the names or other personally identifying details regarding the users of the State Library or any local library which is established of maintained under any law of the Commonwealth of the library of any University, college or educational institution chartered by the Commonwealth or the library or the library of any public school or branch reading room, deposit station of agency operated in connection therewith, shall be confidential and shall not be made available to anyone except by a court order in a criminal proceeding.”
MC-NPL collects only that personally identifiable information about users that is needed for the function of the library. The library retains personally identifiable information about users only as long as is needed for library functions. Privacy and confidentiality protections are part of the library procedures.
MC-NPL does NOT disclose or distribute, users’ names, addresses (postal and email), phone numbers, borrower records, computer use records or other personal information to anyone unless required to do so by law pursuant to a court order, subpoena or where otherwise required by law.