Privacy on this database list

This page is run by RefBytes Demo using RefBytes A-Z. Here is exactly what it records about you, in plain language.

What we count

• When a database is opened from this page, and which page it was opened from.
• When a database detail page is viewed.
• The words typed in the search box (here, or in the database search on the library's own website if it has one) and how many databases they found, so staff can see what people look for and add what is missing. Searches that look like an email address or a card or phone number are not kept.

What we do not keep

• No accounts, names, email addresses, or library card numbers. You never sign in here.
• No IP addresses are stored.
• No advertising or third-party tracking scripts.
• A temporary browser session is used only to avoid counting the same search or visit twice; the database search on the library's own website uses a random number made up each time the page loads instead, and stores nothing in your browser. Either way it is stored as a scrambled value that cannot be traced back to you. Records of opened databases are deleted after 7 days, leaving only daily totals per database. Search words lose the scrambled value within a day and are deleted after two years.

Smart search

To find databases by meaning, the words you type in the search box are sent to OpenAI, with nothing that identifies you, and turned into numbers we can compare. Under OpenAI's API terms they are not used to train its models. Searches that look like an email address or a card or phone number are never sent.

If you report a problem

The message you type, and your email if you choose to give it, are sent to library staff so they can fix the issue and reply. Nothing else is attached.

Once you leave this page

Each database is run by its own vendor with its own privacy policy. Signing in with your library card happens on the library's login system, not here.

Questions? Contact the library.