Digital Privacy

Library Card Registration

When you register for a library card with EPL we will collect information from you. The information collected to create a library card includes personal information and residency verification.

Personal Information is any information that can be used to personally identify you, such as your name, physical address, date of birth, phone number and email address. You can choose not to share your date of birth. However, we do use your date of birth to securely verify the account is yours if verification is required. If you opt to not share your date of birth we will require you to provide a current piece of identification if customer account verification is needed.

We will also ask for residency verification for your new account. Residency verification is a current piece of identification and proof of address. An Alberta Driver’s License is the most common form of residency verification. A piece of current mail can work to verify your residency, but only along with an acceptable form of identification. Residency verification allows us to determine which accounts can use our online resources because EPL's digital resources are only available to Edmonton residents.

My Account Registration

Use your library barcode (the numbers on the back of your library card) and PIN to log into your online account and create a username. You can use your library pin as a password, or register a new password after you create your account online.

You do not have to share your email to register for an online account. Sharing your email address will allow you to reset your password if you forget it and need to request a new one. An email address can also help you receive notices about your account. Once you add an email address to your online account you cannot remove it, you can only modify it.

The online catalogue collects any shared content you create in your account like lists, reviews, ratings, tags and comments. To learn how to access your My EPL Account profile and modify or update your profile information, please check out the Profile Changes section below. To learn more about modifying your privacy settings please visit the My Account Privacy Settings section below.

Please note: When you create an account on our website the information collected is governed by BiblioCommons’ Privacy Policy and Terms of Reference. We urge you to read over all the privacy information to better understand what information is collected, how long it is kept and how it is used.

Borrowing History

The online catalogue will not collect your borrowing history unless you activate the Borrowing History setting. Once you have registered for an account you can activate this setting in your account profile and it will record your Borrowing History for up to 90 days. For more information on how to use and access the Borrowing History settings please refer to Profile Changes section below.

Electronic Communication

When you contact EPL through one of our online forms or use the Chat with EPL Staff instant messaging, you may be asked to share your name, email address, library barcode or other personal information. EPL collects this information to allow our staff to respond to any of your questions or needs, and to bring you the best customer service we can offer. Authorized EPL staff and our third-party services will have access to this information.

Some of our website forms are created using a BiblioCommons product. Please read BiblioCommons’ Terms of Use and Privacy Statement for more information.

Our chat service is provided through a company called Springshare. Please read Springshare’s Privacy Policy for more information.

Public Computers

Your library barcode (the numbers on the back of your library card) and PIN are used to log into any one of EPL’s Public Computers. Terms of Use must be accepted to complete each logon. When using a Public Computer, EPL collects limited personal information, including: library barcode, name, email, session start time, session end time and computer name.

EPL does not record activity on the public computer or content accessed on the Internet while the customer is using the public computer. Customers are required to adhere to EPL’s Public Internet Access policy when using a public computer.

You can access and change your personal information and privacy settings on your My EPL Account profile. Check out this video tutorial or the Making Profile Changes - PDF for descriptions on how to update and change the major components of your online profile. Your customer newsletter email preferences can be changed by following the "unsubscribe or update your preferences" link at the bottom of each customer newsletter, and the email and name you use for your customer newsletter can be updated by completing this form.

Please note: The library does collect other personal information beyond your My EPL Account profile. You cannot access or change this on your own, but you can make a formal request to access this information. Please refer to our Request Access to Records form for more information.

The library's website and online catalogue have privacy settings that determine whether or not your interactions in the online catalogue are automatically shared with other library users. This includes items you rate, comment on or add to your lists and shelves. Items you add to lists and shelves default to public content unless you mark them as private.

No online users can see your borrowing history. If you do not enable your borrowing history, your online library account will only contain your current checkouts and holds, as well as items that incur fees.

Newly created accounts have their profile and privacy information set to private. If you have an older account, you can change your profile and privacy information with your library card and password/PIN. Access your privacy settings in the My Settings section of your account, or check out the tutorial links below for descriptions on updating and changing the major components of your online privacy settings.

• Access your Settings - YouTube 
• Making changes to your Borrowing History - PDF
• Making changes to your Activity Feed - PDF
• Making changes to your Lists and Shelves - PDF

The EPL App allows you to manage your EPL account; discover titles, classes and events; check branch hours; and more. Like EPL’s website and My Account, information collected by the EPL App is governed by BiblioCommons’ Privacy Policy and Terms of Reference. We urge you to read over all the privacy information to better understand what information is collected, how long it is kept and how it is used. 

Several types of information may be collected from the EPL App and stored on the BiblioCommons service, including: 

• Personal information (PII) 
• Borrowing information 
• Shared content 
• Feedback and Suggestions 
• Non-Identifying information 

The EPL App allows you to add and access up to 8 library cards, so you can easily manage and switch between cards all in one app. Full information for each card added (like borrowed items, holds placed, borrowing history, suggestions for purchase, completed shelves, lists and ratings) will be visible within the app.

You can read more about what kind of information and borrowing can be accessed through the EPL App in our FAQs. The multi-account feature is accessible to everyone registered in the EPL App. You can give another person access to your library account by sharing your library barcode/username and password/PIN.  If you wish to remove someone else’s access to your library account, simply change your password/PIN. 

The Edmonton Public Library subscribes to a diverse list of online resources to bring the best content to your computer or device. These online resources can also be referred to as third-party resources and they are governed by their own privacy policies and terms of reference. We ask that you check all third-party resources’ policies and terms of reference before agreeing to use their services. You can find links to the privacy information of these resources on our A-Z Online Resources list.

It is the policy of the Edmonton Public Library Board to safeguard the transactions between the Library and its customers, in accordance with EPL's Privacy and Confidentiality of Customer Information Policy and the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act.

You have the right to request access, or amendments, to personal information and general records that are collected by EPL. For more information on the personal information EPL collects and stores please refer to the Personal Information Banks page.

The online resources that EPL subscribes to are governed by their own privacy policies and terms of reference. These resources will have their own policies around access and retention of information. We ask that you check all online resource policies and terms before agreeing to use their services. You can find links to the privacy information of these resources on our A-Z Online Resources list.

How to Request Access to Your Records

If you wish to make a request to access information or change your information in the Edmonton Public Library’s records, you will need to complete the Request Access to Records form.

There are four options to make a formal request to access your records:

1. Request for general information
2. Request for your own personal information
3. Request for someone else’s personal Information
4. Request to correct your personal information

If you make a request for your own personal information, you will be asked to provide a piece of identification as proof of identity. If you make a request on the behalf of someone else, you will be asked to provide proof of authority.

Please Note: Our FOIP Co-ordinator will need your contact information, a clear and detailed description of the records or information you want to correct, the revised and correct information and any authorization that may be necessary.

If there is any fee owed, the FOIP Coordinator will be in contact with you.

You can send them by mail to:

Office of the Chief Executive Officer
Edmonton Public Library
7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2V4

Or you can fill in the Request Access to Records form.