To ensure a safe environment for patrons and staff, the library may use video surveillance in areas including those of public use, parking lots and grounds. Reasonable efforts shall be made to safeguard the privacy of patrons and staff. Cameras may be installed in locations where patrons and staff would not have an expectation of privacy. Examples include, but are not limited to, common areas of the library such as entrances, near book and media collections, public service desks, exterior grounds and parking lots. Cameras are not installed in areas where patrons and staff have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as inside restrooms, nor are they positioned with the intent to identify a person's reading, viewing or listening activities in the library.
Video surveillance will be used within the following guidelines:
- Images are recorded and will be saved for 7 days.
- Video surveillance may be viewed by library administration or library security staff to investigate a suspected crime or violation of the library's Code of Conduct by library patrons.
- Video surveillance may be viewed by library administration to investigate a suspected violation of the library's Personnel Policy by library staff. Video surveillance is for use by library staff.
Videos of the areas in the interior of the library will only be provided to law enforcement if the library initiates a police report for a crime committed on library property or if law enforcement officials provide the library with a warrant or subpoena for video surveillance from a specific time period or covering a specific incident. Exterior video will be provided to law enforcement upon written request.
Video records may be used to identify the person(s) responsible for library policy violations, criminal activity on library property, or actions disruptive to library operations and to facilitate future improvements to library security. Administration may share video records with library staff to identify person(s) involved in an incident. Administration may use a still shot or selected portions of recorded data to request law enforcement review for assessing the security risk of a specific individual or for investigating a crime.
Security records are generally exempt from the Ohio Public Records Act, except in limited circumstances related to law enforcement or legal proceedings. All requests for security camera footage or still shots by law enforcement are referred to the Library Director. The library will comply with a court order/search warrant in a timely fashion.
Confidentiality laws prohibit the public from viewing security camera footage that contains patron information. Video records may contain personally identifiable information about an individual who has used any library service or borrowed any library materials ("patron information"), and will be accorded the same level of confidentiality and protection provided to library users by Ohio state law (ORC §149.432, "Releasing Library Records or Patron Information").
A breach of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. Any library employee who becomes aware of any unauthorized disclosure of a video record and/or a potential privacy breach has a responsibility to ensure that the Director is immediately informed of the incident.
Adopted/Reviewed by the Board of Trustees: August 2024