The Board of Trustees and staff of the Great Falls Public Library respect the privacy of library patrons in accordance with the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Montana. Under MCA 22-1-1101, ff (Montana Library Records Confidentiality Act) patron library records, including those of minors, will not be revealed to anyone, including a parent, without written permission of the library patron, or under a court ordered subpoena, or under certain provisions contained in the federal USA Patriot Act.

Article II, Section 15 of the Montana Constitution states: "Rights of persons not adults. The rights of persons under 18 years of age shall include, but not be limited to, all the fundamental rights of this Article unless specifically precluded by laws which enhance the protection of such persons."

Under MCA 22-1-1101, ff library records may be used for statistical records only if patron names and checkout records are disassociated, or if the records are used in the recovery of library materials and fines. Patrons who do not wish to use a social security number in routine record keeping may request alternate identifiers. Library records not falling into the exception categories listed above are not retained.

Electronic Information Collected through the Public Catalog and the Internet

Records linking patrons and library checkouts are retained solely for the purpose of inventory. After checkout and return of materials, information linking patrons and items is automatically expunged except for the purpose of fine and/or material collection.

Patrons may voluntarily request that certain types of information be collected in order to provide specific services. For example, the patron has the choice of initiating a program within a private account through the catalog that provides suggestions for further reading based on previous checkouts. This option is not automatically employed; it must be requested by the patron.

Please be aware that under the present software, the link to the last patron checking out an item is retained until another patron checks that item out. At that point, the link is deleted.

All other electronic information collected is for statistical purposes only and does not link specific patrons with activity.

The Library does not collect information from Internet activity specifically linking patrons and activity.

Outside Internet links to Other Websites

Once linked to outside websites and pages, patrons should be aware that their activity falls outside this privacy statement. Other sites may collect and use data linking patrons and activity.

The USA Patriot Act

Patrons should be aware that under the USA Patriot Act, Section 215, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can require that libraries turn over any records, including patron checkouts. This may be done without disclosure to the patron. The librarian involved may not reveal that the investigation is taking place or consult legal counsel.