How can I keep all of my library account information private?
While Shared Content in the catalog is designed for sharing, you can choose to make your shelves, lists and activity feed private, so the only information that's shared with others is the information you choose to share.
There are different options in place for privacy in the catalog:
- You can select an anonymous username.
- You can mark your shelves as private
- Marking shelves as private does not affect items already on a shelf. Mark those items manually.
- You can mark your activity feed as private.
- You can make select items private as you add titles or comments.
- You can make a list private.
If you opt in to Borrowing History, no one else sees that information, and you can opt out if you wish.
The catalog has some things that are always public, some that are always private, and some that you can choose to make private (but they default to public). Here’s a handy list:
Always private
- Borrowing History (previously known Reading History)
- Account information (name, address, email, phone)
- Card number and PIN
- Private Notes on catalog records
Always public
If you don’t want your username to show up anywhere, don't add any of these things to a catalog record. Remember that your username can be anonymous.
- Comments
- Quotes
- Similar Titles
- Notices
- Age Suitability
- Summaries
- Notices
- Videos
Things you can make private
These items are public by default, but you have the option to make them private. See the Privacy Settings help article for instructions for making shelves and lists private.
- My Shelves – Completed, In Progress, For Later
- Marking shelves as private does not affect items already on a shelf. Mark those items manually.
- Accounts created after June 23, 2021 have shelves that are private by default, with the option to make them public.
- My Lists
- My Feeds
Additionally, to learn more about BiblioCommons’ privacy standards, please consult their Privacy Policy. There’s a link to their Privacy Policy at the bottom of every catalog page. BiblioCommons is the company which provides the WCCLS catalog software.
Last updated: Jul 13, 2021
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