Library Patron Confidentiality

Your Rights Under Florida Law

Your Library Card

The library card issued to you is the key to your registration and patron information. You have complete control over who has access to your card information. If you give your card or card number to someone, you are giving that person permission to access all the information your record contains.

If you are not carrying your library card, it is possible to access your record with a photo identification. This transaction must be done in person, and it can only be done for your own record.

For your protection, Florida law restricts access to library records. No one can access your registration or patron information without a judicial order. 

Your Privacy 

No one can access your address, phone number, demographic information, items that are currently checked out on your card, items you have requested, overdue items, charges, or any other information contained within your record without the card or card number. 

If you want to change your phone number, place or pick up a hold, find out what is overdue on a record, etc., you must provide staff with the card or card number for that record.

Families 

Children have the same rights under this law as adults. Their records can only be accessed through the library card. Signing a minor's card only shows acceptance of fines and fees; it does not exempt you from Florida law.

Patrons who do not wish their children's records to remain private should either check out their children's items on their own cards or keep the children's cards with them.

The Law

Florida Statute 257.261 Library registration and circulation records reads in part:

All registration and circulation records of every public library, except statistical reports of registration and circulation, are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and from s. 24(a) of Art. I of the State Constitution. 

Except in accordance with proper judicial order, a person may not make known in any manner any information contained in such records, except as provided in this section. As used in this section, the term "registration records" includes any information that a library requires a patron to provide in order to become eligible to borrow books and other materials, and the term "circulation records" includes all information that identifies the patrons who borrow particular books and other materials….

visits since 9/14/01.

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