The New York State Confidentiality Law protects the privacy rights of library users. This law prohibits the release of any information relating the name of a person and his/her library use without a properly executed subpoena from a court of law. Under this law, librarians cannot:

• Tell a third party whether a person has a library card
• Write the name of a borrower on a book card which is placed in the book
• Tell a parent what his/her child has borrowed, even if it is overdue
• Send a reserve notice or overdue reminder on a postcard
• Reveal the nature of someone’s reference question to another person

This law makes it quite clear that a person’s library use habits are strictly private; there are no exceptions for children or anyone else. It applies to every library in the state, without exception. All library personnel should be aware of this.

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