About CU Library : Policies : Confidentiality

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Cornell University Library (CUL) staff members hold in confidence all information about individual Library users and their choices of research or study material, to the extent allowable by law. Please help the Library protect your friends' and colleagues' right to privacy, and your right, by not asking staff members for this kind of information.

New York State law protects the confidentiality of library records, including, but not limited to the circulation of materials, database searches, interlibrary loan transactions, reference queries, requests for photocopies of library materials, reserve requests, and the use of audiovisual materials, films, and sound recordings. Library patrons should be aware that recent Federal legislation (USA PATRIOT Act of 2001) has expanded the circumstances under which a federal agent may request patron records held by the Library; if such records are requested by federal authorities, the Library is prohibited by law from notifying the patron of that request.

CUL forwards any law-enforcement requests for patron records to the office of the University Counsel. To better protect the privacy of Library patrons, CUL has policies in place that minimize instances of the retention of Library records.