SFPL takes the privacy of its users very seriously, as indicated by our robust Privacy Policy. Bibliocommons and platforms like it are covered inthe section entitled “Discovery Layer interface.”
BiblioCommons is a product SFPL has purchased that provides increased functionality and findability of items in our vast array of available resources, including our print content, electronic books, music, and movies, electronic magazines, subscription databases, etc. It is a powerful tool that allows our users to more actively manage their own library experience.
Additionally, it provides a social aspect – but that aspect is critically engaged with on an opt-in basis. No personal information is shared, and no borrowing activity is either saved or shared with the BiblioCommons community unless you choose to engage with the social elements of the product.
None of the searches executed by you is shared; none of the holds you place or items you check out is shared.
The only time that any of your activity is shared is if you specifically assign that item to a particular “shelf” within BiblioCommons. The settings you see to mark those shelves as “private” are only necessary to adjust if you start using the shelves within BiblioCommons – not if you’re just using it to find items and later borrowing them.
The only time borrowing history is saved is if you intentionally instruct BiblioCommons to start saving your borrowing history. Additionally, if you change your mind and decide to cease saving borrowing history, BiblioCommons then purges all past saved information.
Specifically to our younger users, usernames are limited to a very specific combination of “color” + “animal” + “random number”, which prevents young users from inadvertently including any identifying information in their usernames, and helps to keep their information private.
Additionally, children under 13 cannot enter free text to create messages or reviews, and they cannot receive messages within the BiblioCommons community. The only messages they can receive are system messages from the library that are sent to all users regarding our services. Essentially, except for the ability to voluntarily share activity specifically related to library materials and resources (and here again, this is only shared if the user chooses to move items to a shelf – not just by borrowing), children do not have access to the “social” aspects of the product.
Finally, BiblioCommons is not the only option for searching our resources. Our Classic Catalog remains available for use. You can find the link to it in the footer of our home page (and any of our sfpl.org pages).
