The proposed schedule and selection criteria for removal of patron records and purging of long outstanding bills have been met with concern throughout the membership. Open office hours were provided for discussion. The SWAN Community Forums provide links to the recorded sessions and a discussion thread. Members are encouraged to share their ideas, concerns, and recommendations for moving forward.
Concerns fall around these critical areas:
- Inconsistency of automatic setting of Last Activity Date when accessing digital resources and in-library services
- Removal of patron records after a period of reduced activity due to pandemic (basically a lost year), as well as concern for libraries involved in renovation/building plans that also extended this timeline of potential inactivity
- Removal of bills and how to determine appropriate criteria for removal of long inactive patrons with bills (existence of bills precludes removal of a patron record)
- Handling of juvenile records and bills that have aged to adulthood
- Increased liability in storing inactive patron information, especially sensitive personally identifiable information (PII)
The discussions continue to be productive. We look forward to finding a solution that enables ongoing review and resolution of inactive patron records continuously. Selection criteria and next steps will be discussed at the June Quarterly Meeting.
The timeline presented in the April 23, 2021 Board Packet (pg 52-55) and outlined in the April 30th Patron Record Review - Record Purge news post, is on pause and under review, pending the June Quarterly.
