Terms & Conditions
Last Updated: 1/7/2024
The Princeton Public Library (“PPL” or the “Library”) has created and maintains www.princetonlibrary.org and certain related websites (the “PPL Websites”) in order to make information about its programs, collections and resources available to the public via the internet. By using the PPL Websites and their content, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions may change from time to time, and we encourage you to review them periodically. Your continued use of the PPL Websites indicates your acceptance of any changes to these Terms and Conditions. (Any changes to these Terms and Conditions are inapplicable to disputes arising, or arising out of events occurring, prior to the posting of such changes here.)
Proprietary Rights
As between you and PPL, PPL owns, solely and exclusively, all rights, title and interest in and to the PPL Websites, all the content (including, for example, audio, photographs, illustrations, graphics, other visuals, video, copy, software, etc.), code, data and materials thereon, the look and feel, design and organization of the PPL Websites, and the compilation of the content, code, data and materials on such websites, including but not limited to any copyrights, trademark rights, patent rights, database rights, moral rights, sui generis rights and other intellectual property and proprietary rights therein. Your use of the PPL Websites does not grant to you ownership of any content, code, data or materials you may access on these websites.
Contacting PPL If Your Material Should Not Be On Our Website
In order to make its collections available to the widest audience possible, the Library has placed photographs of items from our collections online. In each instance, we have tried to make sure that we have secured all necessary rights. If you believe that we have made a mistake, please contact us so that we can correct the oversight.
Trademarks
The trademarks, logos, service marks and trade names (collectively the “Trademarks”) displayed on the PPL Websites or on content available through the PPL Websites are registered and unregistered Trademarks of PPL and others and may not be used unless authorized by the trademark owner. Nothing contained on any PPL Website should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark without our written permission or that of the third party rights holder. Your misuse of any Trademark is strictly prohibited.
Third Party Websites
Among the many services offered by the Library is access to databases provided by third parties. These databases are subject to their own terms and conditions. Please review the terms and conditions specific to each database you intend to use and make sure that you comply with the applicable rules. (Some of the Library’s other resources, such as language tutoring products, may also be subject to their own terms and conditions; in each instance, we ask that you review the terms and conditions before using the product in question so that you can comply with them.)
Disclaimers
All materials on the PPL Websites are provided “as is” without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular use, and/or non-infringement. The Library assumes no responsibility for damage to your computer or other property resulting from your use of the PPL Websites. You understand and agree that any downloading or obtaining of material or data through the PPL Websites is done at your own risk. In addition, we disclaim any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, reliability, and legality of materials found on the PPL Websites.
IN NO EVENT SHALL PPL OR ANY OF PPL’S TRUSTEES, EMPLOYEES OR AFFILIATED ENTITIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM, OR DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO, THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THE PPL WEBSITES OR THE CONTENT, MATERIALS AND FUNCTIONS RELATED THERETO.
Some pages on the PPL Websites include links to other websites. The Library has not reviewed all of these websites and is not responsible for the content of these websites. The Library provides these links as a convenience only, and a link does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the linked site by the Library.
The Library offers access to a broad range of information and materials, including certain materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. You should view such materials in the historical context in which they were created. All historical media are presented as specific, original artifacts, without further enhancement to their appearance or quality, as a record of the era in which they were produced. Opinions expressed on the PPL Websites are not necessarily those of the Library or of its Trustees and staff.
Privacy Policy
Your right to privacy
Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association. The Princeton Public Library (“PPL” or “Library”) is committed to protecting your privacy, whether you are a patron, visitor, and/or donor. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect from you and why.
By using our website, attending our events, participating in our programs, downloading our mobile applications, accessing our databases, visiting a Library location, or donating to us, you agree to this policy.
With your consent, you agree to let us use your email address and/or phone number and postal address to communicate with you about our programs, services, and fundraising efforts. However, in accordance with New York State law (NY CPLR Section 4509) and our own commitment to your privacy, information about materials that you check out and information that you access is kept confidential.
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time and we will notify you by posting such changes on our website, so we encourage you to check back periodically for updates. We will alert you to material changes that have been made by indicating on the policy the date it was last updated, by placing a notice on our website, by sending you an email, and/or by some other means.
What personal information does PPL collect and store, why and what do we do with it?
We collect information about you in three ways: directly from you, from automatically collected network logs, and through cookies.
We typically keep information only for so long as it is needed for the proper operation of the Library and in order to deliver better Library services to you. We may retain some information in backup storage systems, hard copy form, or as required by law. We collect different types of information from you depending on how you choose to engage with our Library services and the information needed in order to provide you with access to those services. We only collect the minimum we need to deliver the service you are using at the time and we do our best to remove it at the earliest possible opportunity.
Information that you provide
When you register for an account for our Library services or to get a Library card, we ask you to share certain information with us. If you register with us, we offer you the opportunity to review and, when practical, to update, change, or delete some information you have provided us. You can do this by:
- logging into your cardholder account on our website
- asking our staff to assist you by phone at 1-917-ASK-NYPL
- emailing us at gethelp@nypl.org
- visiting a Library location and speaking to our staff
If you deactivate your library card account or delete key information—such as your Library card number—you may not be able to continue using certain Library services that require registration.
- The information that you provide can include personally identifiable information (PII), where you live, shared content, social media information, login credentials (email address, password, Library card barcode number and pin, or other login mechanisms depending on the system), and your Library account record. For additional details about these information types, please see our Further Privacy Details and Information page.
Information collected and stored automatically
When you use our Library services, such as our website and mobile applications, our computer servers automatically capture and save information electronically about your usage of our Library services. Again, we make sure to only collect the minimum amount of data needed for our services to work. In most cases we do not store this data; while we do sometimes look at the data in aggregate, we do not focus on you as an individual. Examples of information that we may collect include the Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) of the computer you are using; your general location; type of web browser, operating system, or electronic device; date, time, and length of your visit; the website that you visited immediately before arriving at our own website; pages that you visited on our website; and searches/queries that you conducted or other interaction data. Note that this information is captured in aggregate and not in any individually identifiable way.
If you are using a Library-provided device, we may also record your Library card’s barcode, time and length of your session, and the websites that you visited. If you are using our public Wi-Fi network, we may, in addition, also collect the MAC address and name of your Wi-Fi device.
Cookies. A cookie is a small data file sent from your web browser to a web server and is stored on your computer’s, or electronic device’s, hard drive. They are generated by websites to provide users with a personalized and often simplified online experience. You have the option of disabling such cookies if you choose to. If you prefer, you can usually remove or reject browser cookies through the settings on your browser or device. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. Keep in mind, though, that removing or rejecting cookies could affect the availability and functionality of our Library services.
Third-party vendors and websites
We often use third-party Library service providers and technologies to help deliver some of our services to you, including our cataloguing services, online services such as databases, digital classes and programs, digital collections, streaming media content, communications to you, collaboration, projects, etc. We will make every effort to let you know when a third-party company is being used to deliver our services. If and when you choose to use such services, we may need to share your information with these third parties, but only as necessary for them to provide the services on behalf of PPL. We may also display links taking you to third-party services or content. By following these links, you may be providing information (including, but not limited to personal information such as your name, username, email address, and password) directly to a third party, to us, or to both.
By using these services, you will be acknowledging and agreeing that PPL is not responsible for how those third parties collect or use your information.
Library patrons must understand when using remote or third-party vendor sites that there are limits to the privacy protection the Library can provide.
We make reasonable efforts to ensure that third parties conform to PPL’s Privacy Policy and we ensure that they comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. We continually monitor and evaluate such vendors to ensure that their policies remain in line with our requirements of them or our formal agreements with them.
We also make reasonable efforts to ensure that the Library’s contracts, licenses, and offsite computer service arrangements reflect our policies and legal obligations concerning patron privacy and the confidentiality of patron data.
The Library expects third-party service providers to:
- Conform to Library privacy policies.
- Provide a service that complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
- Refrain from collecting or sharing additional information about patrons, other than what is needed for delivery of the Library services provided.
- Have a publicly posted privacy policy.
Where we negotiate contracts to use third-party services, those services must also be in keeping with our privacy values.
There are instances where terms of use are not individually negotiated. In those instances, we educate staff who are making such purchasing decisions so that they are aware of our expectations regarding privacy, and they remain vigilant to ensure the services are in line with our values.
Third-party service providers may collect and share your information, including:
- Personally identifiable information you knowingly provide. This includes when you register for access to their site, provide feedback and suggestions, request information, or create shared content.
- Other information that you may not knowingly provide, but that could be used to identify you, such as your Internet Protocol Address (IP Address), search history, location-based data, and device information.
- Biometric data such as facial recognition, voice recognition. For more information, please see our Further Privacy Details and Information page.
- Non-personally identifiable information. This includes advertisements on the pages that you visit, analytics, browser information (type and language), cookie data, date/time of your request, demographic data, hardware/software type, interaction data, serving domains, page views, and the web page you visited immediately prior to visiting the third-party site.
- Other data as described in the vendor’s privacy policy and terms of use.
For more information on these services and the types of data that are collected and shared, refer to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policies on their webpages. You may choose not to use these third-party services if you do not accept their terms of use and privacy policies. Please take the time to read them carefully.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of every third-party website or service with whom you interact through our Library services. You can always choose not to use third-party websites or services if you do not accept their privacy policies.
The Library also suggests links to external websites that are not under contract or our direct control. In these instances, you are not required to give these sites your Library card or any other personally identifiable information in order to use their services.