Thanks for joining me for this week’s Book Nook! The most visible part of library work involves circulation, reference, and programs, but behind each of these there are guiding principles for our profession that are not always as exciting to talk about, but are still an integral part of library services. Today we are going to touch briefly on one of those principles.

One of the key tenants of the library profession is the protection of patron privacy and confidentiality, and the Great Bend Public Library is dedicated to this ideal. Based on the American Library Association’s (ALA) guidelines, privacy is defined as “the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one’s interest examined or scrutinized by others. Confidentiality exists when a library is in possession of personally identifiable information about users and keeps that information private on their behalf.” In short, any of your checkouts, searches, or other uses of library resources are to be kept private and free from judgment, and we do our utmost to protect your personally identifiable information.

Because of our dedication to patron privacy and confidentiality, there is a change coming soon to the library that we want our community to be aware of. In an effort to further protect patron privacy, we will no longer be keeping track of personal circulation history for new accounts. You may not know this, but the current system in place keeps track of each patron’s circulation history (checkouts and check-ins), and it can be accessed by library staff as well as anyone with login information to each specific patron account. Beginning June 1, any new accounts created will no longer keep track of specific titles for books after they have been checked in. We do know that some of you like to keep track of what books you have read in the past, and so we are currently not changing accounts that are already being used. That may change in the future, but for now if you do not wish to save your circulation history, there is a way you can “opt out” to erase your circulation history. Please ask our staff for more information if you are interested in this.

Pro reader tip: if you really want to keep track of your reading history but would prefer not to have it saved at the library, there are apps and websites (such as Goodreads) that can do this for you, and they often offer other features such as ratings and reviews. If you have any further questions about how the library is protecting your information and privacy, please do not hesitate to ask our staff.

Michael Adamyk is the marketing and technical services manager at the Great Bend Public Library. He can be reached by email at gbcirc@gmail.com. For other library info visit www.greatbendpl.info or call 620-792-2409. Follow the library on Facebook and Instagram.