Your privacy on our website

What this notice covers

This notice covers the library’s website, alexandrialibrary.org. It does not cover the library catalog, your library card account or Libby. Those are run by the Central Library Consortium and its partners, and they have their own privacy policies.

What the website collects on its own

You can use every page without signing in or giving us your name. The website has no user accounts and does not set any cookies of its own. It only collects information about you when you choose to send a form or sign up for the newsletter.

Counting visits: Google Analytics

The library uses Google Analytics to understand how people use the website, so we can make it better. It runs on public pages only, not on the staff events admin. Google Analytics records things like:

• which pages are visited, and how people arrived (for example, from a search)
• the type of device and browser, and the general area a visit comes from
• when someone taps a phone number link on the website
• when a form is sent successfully, and which form it was

Google Analytics never receives what you type into a form. We see only totals and trends, not who you are. Google says Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses.

Google Analytics sets two cookies in your browser (named _ga and _ga_ followed by an ID). They last up to two years and let Google tell a new visit from a return visit.

To turn it off, block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google’s free Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The website works the same either way.

Hosting and security: Cloudflare

Cloudflare hosts the website and protects it from attacks. Like any web host, Cloudflare handles the basic information every browser sends, such as your IP address and browser type, so it can deliver pages to you safely.

The library also uses Cloudflare Web Analytics to count visits and check how fast pages load. Cloudflare says this tool does not use cookies or local storage and does not “fingerprint” visitors. Read Cloudflare’s privacy policy.

Forms you send us

The website has four forms. When you send one, it goes through a form service called Web3Forms, which delivers it by email to the library at info@alexandria.lib.oh.us. We use what you send only to answer your request.

What each form asks for

Form	Information it asks for
Contact	Name, email, phone, who your question is for, and your comment or question
Teacher collection request	Teacher’s first and last name, school, email, cell phone, work phone, library barcode, pickup date, age or grade, types of items, and topics and how many
Material request	Name, email, library barcode, which collection, and (optional) title, author, ISBN and preferred format
Meeting room request	Name, email, requested date, number of people, start and end time, and (optional) notes

• Web3Forms keeps a copy of each form for up to three years and then deletes it automatically, under its own privacy policy. To block spam, it may check the sender’s IP address and email address with spam-filtering services (CleanTalk and Akismet).
• Each form has hidden spam checks. They do not collect anything about you.

If you would rather not use a form, call (740) 924-3561 or stop by the library.

Newsletter email: Mailchimp

If you sign up for the library newsletter, your first name, last name and email address go to Mailchimp, the library’s email service. Mailchimp sends you an email to confirm before you are added. We use your address only to send the library newsletter, and every issue has an unsubscribe link.

Mailchimp may record whether a newsletter email is opened and which links are clicked. Read Mailchimp’s privacy policy (Mailchimp is part of Intuit).

Reading newsletters on this website

The Newsletters page shows past issues in a viewer from Canva (the design tool the library uses), or as a PDF stored by Mailchimp. When the viewer opens, your browser connects to Canva or Mailchimp, which may set their own cookies under their own privacy policies. Read Canva’s privacy policy.

Library news from social media

When the home page shows recent posts from the library’s Facebook page, the website gets them through Postiz, a social media tool. Your visit is not shared with Facebook or Postiz, but any pictures in those posts load from Postiz’s servers.

Links that leave this website

Many links take you to other websites, and their own privacy policies apply once you are there. These include:

• the library catalog and your library card account (Central Library Consortium, Polaris)
• Libby and OverDrive for eBooks and audiobooks
• online research databases, such as the Ohio Web Library
• Google Maps for directions
• “Add to calendar” links for Google Calendar and Outlook
• shared photo albums on Microsoft OneDrive

The catalog search box on our pages sends your search words straight to the library catalog.

Staff sign-in

Library staff add events through a private admin area. It is for staff only and uses a sign-in service from Cloudflare that emails a one-time code to approved staff addresses. Public visitors never need to sign in.

Your library records and Ohio law

Your library card account, holds and borrowing history are kept in the library catalog, not on this website.

Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code section 149.432) protects library records and information that identifies library users. The library does not release them except in limited cases the law allows, such as when you ask or agree, for a court order or subpoena, or when a parent or guardian asks about their minor child’s records.

Your choices

• Use the website without giving any personal information.
• Turn off Google Analytics with your browser settings or Google’s opt-out add-on.
• Call or visit instead of using a form.
• Unsubscribe from the newsletter with the link in any issue.
• Ask what the library has from you, or ask us to correct it, by contacting us below.

Changes to this notice

If the website changes how it handles information, we will update this page and the “Last updated” date at the top.

Questions

For questions about privacy and this website, email info@alexandria.lib.oh.us, call (740) 924-3561, or visit us at 10 Maple Dr., Alexandria, OH 43001.