Privacy & Data Protection

Your privacy is fundamental to our mission. The Northbrook Public Library is committed to protecting the confidentiality of all library users in accordance with the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act (the Act) and the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.

How We Protect Your Privacy

Under the Act (75 ILCS 70/1), your library records are strictly confidential. This means:

We do not share your information, including:

  • What books, movies, or other materials you check out
  • What databases or online resources you access
  • Your search history or computer use
  • Questions you ask our staff
  • Programs you attend
  • Your personal information (name, address, phone number, email)

Limited exceptions only include:

  • Court orders requiring disclosure after consultation with library legal counsel
  • Emergency law enforcement requests involving imminent physical harm
  • Information you specifically authorize us, in writing, to share

What Information We Collect & Why

For Library Card Registration:

  • Name and current address (to verify Northbrook residency)
  • Contact information (phone and email for holds, overdue, and billing notices and library updates)
  • Date of birth (to verify identity, to determine if a patron is of age to get a library card without a parent’s signature, and to determine if a patron is eligible to receive free student printing services)

We do NOT collect or store:

  • Social security numbers
  • Your checkout history (you may choose to turn on this feature, but it is not accessible by the library)
  • Biometric data of any kind

How We Use Your Information

Your data is used only for:

  • Checking out library materials to you
  • Sending holds, overdue notices, billing notices, reservation alerts, and library news and events email (patrons may opt out of receiving these communications)
  • Contacting you about the library services you've requested

We never use your information for:

  • Tracking your reading habits
  • Sharing with government agencies (except as legally required)
  • Commercial purposes, including selling any data to 3rd party vendors

Data Security & Protection

Our security practices include:

  • Secure, encrypted storage of all patron data
  • Limited staff access on a need-to-know basis only
  • Secure disposal of any printed materials containing patron information, following guidance from the State and Local Illinois Records Retention Acts

For online services:

  • Third-party databases and digital services are carefully selected based on their privacy protections
  • We regularly review vendor agreements to ensure they meet our privacy standards
  • All data from public computers, including user profiles, downloaded files, browser history, and pages visited, is removed when a session is ended.

Your Rights & Choices

You have the right to:

  • Access your account information on your own devices
  • Request corrections to your personal information
  • Opt out of non-essential communications
  • Ask questions about how your information is used
  • Request that we delete your account (while maintaining overdue or billed material records as required)

Questions About Privacy

If you have questions about:

  • How we protect your privacy
  • What information we have about you
  • Our data practices
  • Your privacy rights

Contact us:

Our Commitment

The Northbrook Public Library believes that intellectual freedom and privacy are essential to a democratic society. We are committed to:

  • Keeping your library use confidential
  • Using the minimum amount of personal information necessary
  • Protecting your data with industry security standards 
  • Being transparent about our privacy practices