Sutton Free Library

5.1 GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY.It is the policy of SFL to protect the privacy of all patrons with respect to information sought or received, and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted in accordance with NH RSA 201-D:11. Accordingly, the library will treat as confidential all records in its possession that contain users’ personal identifying information. Our list of patrons will not be available to any outside organization, commercial enterprise, or entity not directly affiliated with the SFL as an employee or library trustee. 

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5.2 WHEN RELEASE OF INFORMATION IS REQUIRED BY LAW. RSA 201-D:11 identifies the circumstances under which a New Hampshire public library must disclose information about a user to a third party. Those circumstances are (1) when requested or authorized by the user, (2) pursuant to a subpoena, (3) pursuant to a court order (including a search warrant), or (4) when otherwise required by statute. Sutton Free Library will limit disclosures of such information to these four circumstances and to the extent necessary for the proper operation of the library. 

When a member of the library staff is served with a subpoena or court order purporting to require the disclosure of user information, or if the staff member is otherwise approached by law enforcement authorities in connection with his or her work at the library, the staff member shall immediately refer the matter to the SFL BOT. It is the responsibility of the SFL BOT to handle all such inquiries from law enforcement authorities. When appropriate, trustees shall seek the advice of counsel before complying with any court order or subpoena requiring the release of user information. 

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5.3 WHAT USER INFORMATION THE LIBRARY WILL KEEP. It is the policy of the library to maintain user-specific information including: 
● The name, address, telephone number, and email address of each person with circulation privileges. 
● A record (if any) of the current and preceding borrower of each of SFL materials and interlibrary loaned materials. 

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5.4 STATISTICAL INFORMATION. Sutton Free Library keeps ongoing statistical information about library use. Such statistical information does not identify specific users. 

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5.5 COLLECTION AND USE OF EMAIL ADDRESSES. Patron email addresses gathered by SFL will be used only by the library for library-related activities. They will not be used for any other purposes nor shared with any other organization or individual. Patrons can unsubscribe to library emails at any time. They may highlight the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each email. 

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5.6 MEDIA CONSENT AND RELEASE GUIDELINES. Media Consent and Release Guidelines are articulated in SFL Policy 15: SOCIAL MEDIA.

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5.7 SECURITY CAMERA USAGE. Privacy related to security camera usage is articulated in SFL Policy 18: SECURITY CAMERA POLICY.
 

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Adopted by the Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees on October 18, 2012.

Reviewed by the Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees on February 5, 2019.

Revised by the Sutton Free Library Board of Trustees on August 20, 2025.