Dear Library Champion,
Contact tracing, the practice of interviewing people to determine where they have been over a period of days or weeks, is a practice that is part of reducing the spread of COVID19. Some library boards in Manitoba have deemed it necessary to document their patron’s presence in the library in an effort to assist Public Health’s contact tracing should a case of COVID19 be linked to the library.
While these efforts may seem prudent in the case of a pandemic, public library boards need to be conscious of their obligation to protect the privacy of individuals using the library. Indeed, the American Library Association has issued Guidelines on Contact Tracing, Health Checks, and Library Users’ Privacy The ALA cautions that “…A public health surveillance program implemented in the current situation could become permanent, resulting in an irrevocable loss of privacy and civil liberties.” The website Choose Privacy Every Day advises libraries to only initiate contact tracing if mandated by Public Health or local officials. Contact tracing in other jurisdictions, such as British Columbia, is not done by public libraries in that province at this time.
If libraries are obligated to conduct contact tracing, the library should work with their municipal privacy officer to verify the information necessary to be collected, and disclosure protocols under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Public libraries should publicize that they are collecting information for contact tracing with signage at library entrances, and notices on library websites and social media. FIPPA also requires that a person be designated to answer questions related to the privacy collection and disclosure should an individual want more information. In accordance with Public Health Guidelines, personal information collected for contact tracing should be held for a maximum of 21 days.
Information gathering methods might include individual sign-in forms, sign-in sheets with membership numbers only, or printing off daily circulation reports. All information should be stored in a secure location accessible only to specific individuals charged with securing the documentation.
By publicly acknowledging contact tracing is happening at your library, and reassuring individuals of the security of the information being collected, libraries can retain their reputation as a trusted, freely accessible resource and ensure the privacy of their citizens.
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