SUNLINK Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the SUNLINK web site. Your privacy is very important to us. SUNLINK knows that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. This notice describes our privacy policy. By visiting the SUNLINK web site, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

The following Privacy Policy governs SUNLINK's information collection practices. Specifically, it outlines the types of information that SUNLINK gathers about you while you are using the SUNLINK web site (the "Service") and the ways in which SUNLINK uses and doesn't use this information. This Privacy Policy also applies to any information you may provide to us or that we may collect offline and/or through other means (for example, at a live event, via the telephone, or through the mail or email).

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By visiting the SUNLINK web site, you agree that your use of our Service, and any dispute over privacy, is governed by this Privacy Policy. Because the Web is an evolving medium, we may need to change our Privacy Policy at some time in the future, in which case we'll post the changes to this Privacy Policy on this web page and update the effective date of the policy to reflect the date of the changes. By continuing to use the SUNLINK web site after we post any such changes, you accept the Privacy Policy as modified.

What information about users does SUNLINK gather?

The information we gather from users helps us evaluate and continually improve SUNLINK. Here are the types of information we gather.

1. Information You Provide to Us

Simply stated, our policy is to collect no personal information about you when you visit the SUNLINK web site, unless you choose to make such information available to us. When you visit the SUNLINK web site, the server automatically recognizes the Internet domain and IP address from which you accessed the site. This information does not result in the identification of your personal email address or other personal information.

SUNLINK may collect and store information that you voluntarily supply either while on the SUNLINK web site or in responding via email in connection with a feature provided on the SUNLINK web site. Some examples of this type of information include demographic information such as your name or email address that you electronically submit when you sign up for electronic delivery of the @SUNLINK monthly newsletter, information that you electronically submit when you request eStore materials from SUNLINK, sign-up for an online course, or send email messages to SUNLINK.

District contacts may also provide SUNLINK with information about Florida K-12 public schools and school library media programs for SUNLINK's use--such as school library media specialist name, email address, school name, principal name, address, phone and fax numbers. This information is only used to communicate with you about SUNLINK and its services.

2. Information that is Automatically Collected

SUNLINK also collects and stores information that is generated automatically as you search the database and navigate through the web site. We also use web beacons to count users who visit pages on the SUNLINK site. We generate monthly reports indicating what regions, districts and individual schools are searched, the number of searches, and the number of visitors to SUNLINK web pages, and we track the number of interlibrary loan requests generated through the eILL system.

Another example of information that SUNLINK automatically collects as you navigate the SUNLINK site is information about your computer's connection to the Internet. This includes the operating system, the browser, and the screen resolution of the computer you are using to access SUNLINK in addition to the domain name and IP address.

Information is gathered regarding the volume and timing of access to the site by collecting information on the date, time and pages you visited while at the site. This is done so that the content of the site can be improved, and your personal information is not identified.

SUNLINK, with its subcontractor, Brodart Automation, collects information about your school's collection through annual analysis of the database holdings.

How is this information used?

SUNLINK uses the information it collects from you in a variety of ways, including using the information to improve features on the SUNLINK web site. We also use the information to communicate with Florida's K-12 school library media specialists about SUNLINK in order to keep them up-to-date and to improve the database and its services.

SUNLINK uses the analysis of the database information to generate annual Age of Collection information by school, district and state. This information is posted to the web site for your use and is public information.

Information will not be disclosed to third parties or other government agencies, unless required by state or federal law. Third parties include individuals, organizations, vendors, and others who may seek to gather information for purposes of mailing or emailing information, promotional offers, or requests for additional information directly to you.

SUNLINK does provide information about a school's compliance with SUNLINK's policies and procedures such as database maintenance, directory update, and interlibrary loan activities to district contacts upon request. We do not provide information about a school's activities to contacts in any district other than the one in which that school is located.

The SUNLINK web site includes links to other web sites and provides access to products and services offered by third parties whose privacy policies we do not control. When you access another web site or service, the use of any information you provide is governed by the privacy policy of the operator of the site you are visiting or the provider of such products or services.

Please note: The SUNLINK project is funded by the Florida Department of Education, and any information you or your school or district provide to us or is collected by SUNLINK may be shared with the funding agency. Aggregate information is generally included in quarterly and annual reports to the Florida Department of Education. In addition, the Florida Department of Education may share information about Florida's K-12 public schools to the SUNLINK project.

Questions Regarding Privacy

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, suggestions about how it might be improved, the privacy practices of the SUNLINK web site, or your dealings with SUNLINK please contact us by writing to:

Tom Atkinson, Principal Investigator
Florida SUNLINK Project
University of Central Florida
12443 Research Parkway, Suite 402
Orlando, FL 32826

Or email atkinson@mail.ucf.edu

Last Modified 10/19/07
Email SUNLINK | FAX: (866) 873-0721 (FL only) | Phone: (800) 226-0085 (FL only)