This notice outlines the personal information we (Health Libraries Midlands, HeLM) collect from you, why we do so and how we store it, in line with data protection legislation including the General Data Protection Regulation (2018).
Information that we collect
We hold certain personal information about you when you join the library. We collect this information from the library membership form you complete when you join the library. This information is stored in our library management system, which is called KOHA. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust Library Services is part of a consortium of NHS library services across the Midlands (Health Libraries Midlands, HeLM).
In order to ensure that library staff can contact you and easily identify you in the system we store your name, home address, email address(es), phone number, organisation, department, work location, job title and role. If you are on a fixed contract or placement, we ask you for the end date. This information is added to KOHA on your behalf when you join the library.
Sharing your information with others
We work with external organisations to store the information held on KOHA and manage email delivery for things like overdue notices.
Your data is accessible to HeLM library staff in the Midlands who use the same, shared system. This enables you to access, via your home library, resources held in all these libraries. All library staff work in compliance with data protection legislation.
In addition, your data is accessible to the system supplier who is contractually required to maintain privacy and the systems manager who maintains and manages the HeLM system.
These organisations are provided with access to your information in order to process it for us, based on our instructions and in compliance with our Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
Your information is also used by the library to deliver the services that you have requested from us. Often we will add or update your information (at your request).
Anonymised information will be used for reporting on usage of library services.
We will share your information with others where required to do so by law. We will never sell your information to anyone, or share it in a way not described in this notice without your permission.
We will email you in order to communicate with you about services you have requested (including requesting your evaluation to help improve services). We will also email you periodically to check that the information we have is up-to-date.
You may choose to receive additional emails including bulletins, newsletters or information about your library service. Receiving these additional emails is based on opt-in consent that we will ask you to provide when you sign up for library membership. You may request a change to your communication settings by emailing stmichaels.library@covwarkpt.nhs.uk
Information security
Technical safeguards, such as firewalls and antivirus software are used to help ensure that your information is kept safe and only disclosed to people who are authorised to view it. Any data transferred via email is encrypted if not sent via NHS email. The data is backed up daily and we review our information collection, storage and processing practices, including physical security measures, to guard against unauthorised access to systems.
We restrict access to personal information to employees of Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust for knowledge sharing purposes; library staff and other partners who need to know that information in order to process it for us (as described above). Staff at these organisations are subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations.
Deleting your information
We will keep your information for as long as you are making use of NHS library and knowledge services and until your privilege on your library account expires (two years for permanent staff or the relevant contractual period for students and temporary staff). If your privilege expires and there has been no loan activity on your library account, your account will be deleted after six months, unless you have any outstanding loans or replacement costs. This means that if you have requested articles from us, but not borrowed any books, that information will be deleted. All previous book loans will also be deleted. If you return to the trust after a period of time, you will need to re-register for membership of the library.
The system will only store as much information about you as is required, and will securely destroy any personal information about you when it is no longer of use.
Your rights
You may access your user record online or ask library staff to access it for you. If your details change, please let your home library know so that your record can be updated. If you no longer wish to use NHS library services (and do not have any outstanding loans or replacement costs) then you may ask library staff to delete your record.
Compliance and cooperation with regulatory authorities
We regularly review our compliance with our Privacy Policy and adhere to the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Contact us
If you have any concerns related to this privacy policy, or have queries about the use of your personal information, please contact stmichaels.library@covwarkpt.nhs.uk
Updated 25 March 2022
