Privacy Policy

If you only read the Digital Library Federation (DLF) website, no more information is collected than is typically collected in server logs by web sites in general. Most of what follows here applies to website authors and contributors.

If you contribute to the DLF site, you are publishing every word you post publicly. If you write something, assume that it will be retained forever. This includes comments on any given item. Some limited exceptions are described below.

Publishing on the DLF site and public data

Simply visiting the web site does not expose your identity publicly (but see Policy on Logging below).

When you edit any page on the site, you are publishing a document. This is a public act, and you are identified publicly with that edit as its author.

Identification of an author

When you publish on the site, you may be logged in or not.

If you are logged in, you will be identified by your user name. This may be your real name if you so choose, or you may choose to publish under a pseudonym, whatever user name you selected when you created your account.

If you have not logged in, you will be identified by your network IP address. This is a series of numbers that identifies the Internet address from which you are contacting the site. Depending on your connection, this number may be traceable only to a large Internet service provider, or specifically to your school, place of business, or home. It may be possible that the origin of this IP address could be used in conjunction with any interests you express implicitly or explicitly by editing articles to identify you. It may be either difficult or easy for a motivated individual to connect your network IP address with your real-life identity.

Even when using a pseudonym, your IP address will be stored on the site servers and can be seen by DLF server administrators. Your IP address, and its connection to any usernames that share it may be released under certain circumstances (see Policy on Logging and Disclosure of Information below).

Remember to log out or disconnect yourself after each session on a shared computer, to avoid allowing others to use your identity.

Cookies

The site will set a temporary session cookie whenever you visit the site. If you do not intend to ever log in, you may deny this cookie, but you cannot log in without it. It will be deleted when you close your browser session.

More cookies may be set when you log in, to avoid typing in your user name (or optionally password) on your next visit. These last longer. You may clear these cookies after use if you are using a public machine and don’t wish to expose your username to future users of the machine. (If so, clear the browser cache as well.)

Passwords

Many aspects of the DLF’s community interactions depend on the reputation and respect that is built up through a history of valued contributions. User passwords are the only guarantee of the integrity of a user’s edit history. All users are encouraged to select strong passwords and to never share them. No one shall knowingly expose the password of another user to public release either directly or indirectly.

Policy on Logging

The Digital Library Federation (DLF) is a program of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR).

It is the policy of CLIR that personally identifiable data collected in the server logs or through records in the database may be released by the system administrators in the following situations:

  • In response to a valid subpoena or other compulsory request from law enforcement.
  • With permission of the affected user.
  • To the president of CLIR, the program officer of DLF, their legal counsel, or their designee, when necessary for investigation of abuse complaints.
  • Where the information pertains to page views generated by a spider or bot and its dissemination is necessary to illustrate or resolve technical issues.
  • Where the user has been vandalising articles or persistently behaving in a disruptive way, data may be released to assist in the targeting of IP blocks, or to assist in the formulation of a complaint to relevant Internet Service Providers.
  • Where it is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of CLIR, its users or the public.

CLIR policy does not permit public distribution of such information under any circumstances, except as described below.

Disclosure of Information

While CLIR endeavors to provide the highest level of protection for your information, we may disclose personally identifiable information about you to third parties in limited circumstance, including: (1) with your consent; or (2) when we have a good faith belief it is required by law, such as pursuant to a subpoena or other judicial or administrative order.

If we are required by law to disclose the information that you have submitted, we will attempt to provide you with notice (unless we are prohibited) that a request for your information has been made in order to give you an opportunity to object to the disclosure. We will attempt to provide this notice by email, if you have given us an email address, or by postal mail if you have entered a postal address. If you do not challenge the disclosure request, we may be legally required to turn over your information.

In addition, we will independently object to requests for access to information about users of our site that we believe to be improper.

Security of information

CLIR makes no guarantee against unauthorized access to any information you provide. This information may be available to anyone with access to the servers.

E-mail, mailing lists and other electronic communications

E-mail. You may provide your e-mail address in your profile and enable other logged-in users to send email to you through the site.

Mailing lists. If you subscribe a mailing list your address will be exposed to any other subscriber. The list archives of most of DLF mailing lists may be made public, and your address may find itself quoted in messages. The list archives are also archived by other services.

User-based data.

Data on users, such as the times at which they edited and the number of edits they have made are publicly available on the site, and in aggregated forms published by other users.

Deletion of content

Removing text from the site does not permanently delete it. In most cases one can look at a previous version of an item and see what was there. If an article is “deleted,” any user with administrator access on the site can see what was deleted. Information can be permanently deleted by people with access to the servers, but there is no guarantee this will happen except in response to legal action.

Reorganization or Spin-Offs

CLIR may transfer some or all of your personal and/or non personal information to a third party as a result of a reorganization, spin-off or similar transaction. Upon such transfer, the acquirer’s privacy policy will apply. In such event, CLIR will use reasonable efforts to notify you and to ensure that at the time of the transaction the acquirer’s privacy policy complies with the Principles.

Children

Consistent with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), we will never knowingly request personal information from anyone under the age of 13 without requiring parental consent. Any person who provides their personal information to CLIR through the Websites represents that they are 13 years of age or older.

Third-Party Sites

The Websites may include links to other websites. You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party sites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other websites.

Special Note to International Users

The Websites are hosted in the United States. If you are accessing the Websites from the European Union, Asia, or any other region with laws or regulations governing personal data collection, use and disclosure that differ from United States laws, please note that you are transferring your personal data to the United States which does not have the same data protection laws as the EU and other regions. By providing your personal data you consent to:

  • The use of your personal data for the uses identified above in accordance with the Privacy Policy; and
  • The transfer of your personal data to the United States as indicated above.

Changes and Updates to this Privacy Policy

We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy. When we do, we will also revise the Effective Date below. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed about how we are protecting the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the Websites constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and any updates.

Questions?

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at info@diglib.org.

Effective Date:

26 January 2011


Skip to content