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Patron Request - Data Erasure

SWAN may receive direct requests from patrons to remove all personal identifiable information related to their account. When these requests are received a standard process of record verification and removal will be followed.

Example of request

The following example is representative of requests SWAN receives. These requests are generally auto-generated from a data erasure service.

To: swanlibraries.net
From: email of requestor
Subject: Swanlibraries data erasure request - from FirstName LastName - request: REQUESTID

Hello Swanlibraries (swanlibraries.net),

My name is FirstName LastName, and I hereby request to erase all personal data that you hold about me.

Please send me an email confirmation of the complete and permanent erasure of the personal data once you have completed the erasure process.

My personal details are:

Name: FirstName LastName

Email: myemail@email.xyz


As evidence of my interaction with your company, I received an email on 2021 July 28 that indicates that you are holding personal data about me.

Thanks,
FirstName LastName

Request: REQUESTID

These requests will be forwarded to a centralized SWAN email account for processing.

SWAN actions upon receipt

When the data erasure request is received, the following steps are taken:

  1. Patron record is searched in WorkFlows
  2. If no activity (checkout, hold, bills) is shown in the patron record, then
    1. Remove the patron record
    2. Notify the home library of the removal request and completion
    3. Respond to patron that data has been removed from swanlibraries.net
  3. If activity is on patron record, then
    1. Add a note to the patron record "Data Erasure Request received by SWAN on xx/xx/xxxx - Initials of staff"
    2. Send the following message via email to media@swanlibraries.net
      "This is a confirmation we have received a data erasure request.

      SWAN Library Services provides services to your home public library. You currently have open transactions on your account. Please return any material and pay any outstanding fees. Once you have cleared your record, please resubmit this request for removal."
      • bcc requestor: Notify the patron of status
      • bcc Library Director :Notify the home library of the removal request

Future considerations and automation

As these services become more widely used, a manual approach to responding to these request may not be feasible. The following outline is provided as consideration if we need to move to automated processing for these removal requests.

  • Block patron record
  • Add patron note
  • Modify PIN
  • Update to profile of REMOVE
  • Circulation and hold map rules restrict holds placement and circulation for REMOVE profile
  • Attempt monthly removal of accounts with profile REMOVE (they will not be removed if checkouts, holds, or bills are on the account)