Protecting user privacy and confidentiality has long been an integral part of the public library mission and of the Hillsboro Public Library. The purpose of this document is to state the Library's rules regarding requests for access to Library patron records.

The Library is a member of Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) and uses the WCCLS Polaris database for maintaining patron records. The Washington County Cooperative Library Services Manager is custodian of WCCLS library records.  Only the WCCLS Director may authorize release of patron records to law enforcement officials or persons other than the card owner; these are detailed in the WCCLS procedure “Procedures for Responding to Law Enforcement Requests for Information at Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) Member Libraries.

In general, only the card owner has a right to see the information associated with their card. This includes:

• Registration information (name, registered library, patron code, original registration date, last activity date, phone number, email address);
• Items currently checked out and their due dates;
• Titles they have requested for hold;
• Searches they have saved on the WCCLS shared computer system/network;
• Reading history (a record of titles checked and returned).

Library staff may access this card owner information only in the course of official library business, with the following exceptions:

• Parents and guardians may have title and cost information for the overdue and lost items of children, provided the child is under 11 and the parent or guardian’s ID is noted on the child’s account;
• Patrons who have given permission to others by using “associated cards”;
• Law enforcement officials with written legal authorization and with permission of the WCCLS Director as described above. 

Oregon Revised Statute 192.502(23) provides a legal basis for treating Library records with privacy and confidentiality. This state law exempts from public records disclosure:

(23) The records of a library, including:

1. a) Circulation records, showing use of specific library material by a named person
2. b) The name of a library patron together with the address or telephone number of the patron; and
3. b) The electronic mail address of a patron.

The Library has defined library records broadly to include computer usage logs, sign-up sheets, interlibrary loan requests, and all similar records created by the Library.

Revised May 2020

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