Online Privacy Statement

Learn how Surrey Libraries retains and uses personal information obtained through this website. 

Even if you do nothing more during your visit than browse through the website, read pages, or download information, be aware that Surrey Libraries automatically gathers and stores certain information about your visit; this information does not identify you personally. 

All personal information collected by Surrey Libraries is managed according to the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. 

We are responsible for personal information under our control. We have designated individuals who are responsible for monitoring our ongoing compliance with the Privacy Principles noted below. 

Informed Consent 

The purposes, for which personal information is collected, will be identified by us at time of collection. Your consent is required for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, subject to certain exceptions. Such exceptions are set out in the law. 

What is Collected? 

Surrey Libraries collects personal information as described below: 

  • The type of browser and operating system used to access the Library's Website; 
  • The date and time you access the Library's Website; 
  • The pages you visit on the Library's Website; and 
  • If you are linked to the Surrey Libraries Website from another website, the address of that website. 

Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention 

Your information may only be used or disclosed for the purposes for which it was collected, other purposes you consent to, or as required or permitted by law. It may only be kept for as long as is necessary to satisfy the purposes for which it was collected, or as required or permitted by law. Surrey Libraries is subject to the Surrey Corporate Records By-law, 2010, No. 17002, which governs the retention and destruction of our records. 

Links to Other Sites 

The Surrey Libraries Website contains links to other sites. Surrey Libraries is not responsible for the content and privacy practices of other websites and encourages you to examine the privacy policy and disclaimer of each site and make your own decisions regarding the disclosure of your personal information to that site. 

Individual Access 

Upon written request, you will be informed of the existence, use and disclosure of your personal information and you will be given access to it, subject to certain exceptions, as permitted by law. You may also verify the accuracy and completeness of your information, and request that it be amended, if appropriate using the Requests for Information page. 

Social Media Collection Notice 

The personal information you post to connect with the Surrey Libraries through social media sites may be collected by Surrey Libraries for the purposes of engaging with you. The information you post on these sites is not under the control of Surrey Libraries, and may be stored outside Canada on servers not belonging to the City of Surrey. 

Be sure to read the site's Privacy Policy to determine its privacy practices. To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, do not include any personal information including phone numbers and email addresses in the body of your comment. Do not share personal information about others, including pictures.   

Privacy-Protective Web Analytics program 

Surrey Libraries uses third party services to analyze non-identifiable web traffic data with the purpose of improving the services we offer. Surrey Libraries owns and stores the data that is generated on the City of Surrey secure web server. The collected data will not be shared with any other party for any other purpose. 

Surrey Libraries may collect the following information to assist us with improving the website: 

  • The pages accessed on our site and links you clicked on 
  • The date and time you visited the site 
  • The referring site (if any) through which you arrived at this site 
  • Your operating system (e.g. Windows XP, Mac OS X) 
  • The type of web browser you use (e.g. Chrome, Firefox) 
  • IP addresses 

Our web analytics will also respect any "do not track" setting you might have set on your browser. 

Our website may use session cookies which are stored in temporary memory and are not retained after you sign out or close the browser session. 

Cookies  

To make this site work properly, we sometimes place small data files called cookies on your device.  Most big websites do this. The pages of Surrey Libraries(www.surreylibraries.ca) use a number of cookies.  

The cookie-related information is not used to identify you personally. These cookies are not used for any purpose other than those described here. 

How to Control Cookies 

You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies that are on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.  If you do this, however, you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit and some services and functionalities may not work. 

Electronic communication

All electronic messages sent by the Library are in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Notices sent to members concerning their account activity are essential to membership in the Library are considered transactional and exempt under CASL. As a registered charity, emails sent by or on behalf of the Library whose primary purpose is to raise funds for the Library are exempt from CASL’s requirements.  

For subscribed digital resources, for example newsletters or recommended reads, that you opt-into, you will receive information only on the topics you select when subscribing. If you decide that you are no longer interested in receiving digital communications from us, simply unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the communication you receive. 

Electronic Forms & Personal Information 

If you choose to provide Surrey Libraries with personal information in an email or by filling out an electronic form and submit it to the Library through our Website, the Library will use that information to respond to your message and to assist us to provide you the requested information or service. 

How Surrey Libraries protects your Personal Information 

Surrey Libraries has safeguards in place to protect your personal information against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure or disposal. 

Your information is protected using technical and administrative security measures to reduce the risks of loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure and alteration. Some of the safeguards used are firewalls, intrusion detection, physical access controls to our data centre, and information access authorization controls. 

Privacy Complaints

We respond to privacy complaints in accordance with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). If you have a privacy complaint or concern, email privacy@surrey.ca and provide as much detail as you can to assist in understanding the nature of your complaint including:

  • Details of your complaint or concern
  • Your name
  • Your contact information (email address or phone number)

Personal information is collected for the purpose of responding to your privacy complaint or concern. Surrey Public Library and the City of Surrey are authorized to collection personal information under section 26(c) of the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

For questions about the collection of personal information contact the Director of Administrative Services, 10350 University Drive, Surrey, BC V3T 4B8 604-598-7303.