GWL Data Protection Policy

This policy has been superceded by our General Data Protection Regulation (2018) compliant Privacy Policy.

Glasgow Women’s Library needs to keep certain personal data about library users (including volunteers and student placements) so we can provide them with services and information. We use personal data to get in touch with library users about events, courses and items borrowed from the library. We store this data securely and will not pass it onto other organisations.

Personal data is held and processed by the library in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. This legislation covers information held both electronically and in paper formats. The Act gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them, and it provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly. Under the Act, organisations processing information must comply with eight principles, which make sure that personal information is:

  • Fairly and lawfully obtained and processed
  • Processed for limited purposes
  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Accurate and up to date
  • Not kept for longer than is necessary
  • Processed in line with your rights
  • Secure
  • Not transferred to other countries without adequate protection

Library users have the right to know what personal data Glasgow Women’s Library holds about them, and to ask for it to be corrected if it is inaccurate. If a user wishes to see the data held on them, they should speak to a member of staff or write to the library, making sure to include their full name and contact details. They will be asked for proof of identification and a record will be made of their request (known as a Subject Access request). The data will be provided to them as soon as possible, and at the latest within 40 days, the limit laid down by the Act.

For more information on the Data Protection Act, you can visit the Information Commissioner’s Office website: www.ico.gov.uk.