The CCA Libraries’ strive to respect our patrons’ right to privacy while delivering the highest possible quality materials and services. The goal of this policy is to be as transparent as possible about what data we collect, how we manage it, and what other services we work with.
Our Data
The libraries collect anonymized data related to the use of our websites and services via Google Analytics. We occasionally conduct user research for the purposes of improving our web presence, including surveys and interactive usability tests. We record a variety of data related to our many services, such as information literacy instruction, inter-library loan, and reference questions. In terms of personally-identifiable information, these records contain an email address and name at most. We may share aggregated versions of the data, such as charts on the library data page, but will not share records which include personal information.
It is the goal of the Libraries to keep data only as long as it remains relevant to us. For instance, user interviews about our website are kept for a year or until we summarize them into an action plan. You can request that data associated with you be deleted by contacting us. As long as the data is not operationally necessary for the libraries, we will remove it. Sometimes, as is the case with VAULT and our online learning platforms, we retain data on behalf of one of CCA’s academic programs and we must consult with that program before modifying or deleting data.
Third-Party Services
The Libraries subscribe to numerous commercial, third-party websites which provide valuable research sources and pedagogical tools. Wherever possible, we do not sacrifice your right to privacy when we purchase access to a website. However, we cannot control the actions of external companies and they may track your activity on their sites. In particular, if you create an account with a third-party site it is subject to their privacy policy and not ours.
Here are several of the privacy policies of companies that we work with:
- Artstor & JSTOR - image & academic databases
- EBSCO - academic databases
- Kanopy - videostreaming service
- ProQuest - academic databases & search engine
- SpringShare - research guides software
If you have a question about a third-party website and its data or privacy policies, please contact a librarian. We would be happy to perform the research necessary to find an answer.
References & Useful Links
- California College of the Arts Privacy Policy
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Code of Ethics of the American Library Association