Data privacy statement for the services on the web servers of the University Library of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Thank you for your interest in our internet presence. The protection of your personal data is given top priority, and we would like to inform you about the privacy policy of the University Library.

Processing personal data such as name, address, e-mail-address or telefon number of a person follows the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR) and the Berlin Data Privacy Act (BDSG, Berliner DSG).

In this statement we will inform you, how we process and store personal data and which kind of data these are. This declaration concretize the data privacy declaration of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin for the web-server of the University Library.

Data collection while you are visiting our Web pages

General remarks

The web servers, which process our web contents, create log-files with the following information: your Internet Protocol address, date and time of your request, the web pages you have visited and your browser type. These log-files are only used for the function check of our web servers and deleted after seven days.

Cookies set by the website

On the web servers operated by the UB under the domain name ub.hu-berlin.de and it’s sub-domains and all afilliated services of the Cooperative Library Network Berlin-Brandenburg cookies are used for the retention of session settings. The life span of such cookies is limited to each individual session – i.e. these cookies exist only up to the point when you completely close your browser.

Some of our web-services, that are utilised by third parties, may also set cookies. These are mainly services to display book covers as well as content providers, that we link to via "online access" in primus.

Evaluation of performance and usability of the website (Piwik/Matomo)

By using the tracking-tool Piwik, we analyse non-personal data to evaluate the use of our website by visitors and to improve our web offer continuously on this basis. By doing that, we strictly adhere to the recommendations and  requirements of the Data-Protection Supervisor of Schleswig-Holstein (who recommends Piwik for this purpose). We intentionally refrain from using the widely applied tool “Google-Analytics”. If you don’t want to be tracked, you can enable the opt-out-option.

Statistical utilisation of data about the use of the website

In the framework of the German Library Statistics, the University Library uses a technique to count the visitors to their website.

While visiting our homepage and/or the page of the online-catalogue or our search portal PRIMUS, the library identification with the particular page, access time and footprint of the requesting computer is being created.

We collect, store and process non-personally identifiable information, i.e. any footprint will not be allocated to a certain person. The footprint is processed by means of a one-way function of IP-address, browser identification and proxy-information. The IP-address or other data are not stored.

The corresponding individual data records are added up after 24 hours at the latest and changed into anonymous data.

The stored data are statistically processed in order to present and develop our website adequately. Collected data are only used for this purpose and deleted after their exploitation. ‘Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart’ is responsible for the technical and organisational proceedings which have been developed pursuant to the legal regulations of the data privacy act and German telecommunication services act (TMG) and for compliance with the German laws.

Right to objection/Opt-out

General inhibition of tracking

By using the function "do not track" in your browser, you are able to generally inhibit the tracking of your visit to our website. We comply with the option set on the website. For further information on this subject, please follow this link.

DBS-Counting

You have the right to enter an objection to the collection, processing and utilisation of your visiting data for statistic purposes. Please click on the following external link: http://dbspixel.hbz-nrw.de/widerspruch.html.

Piwik analysis / Matomo analysis

You have the right to enter an objection to the collection, processing and utilisation of your visiting data for the purpose of the non-personal analysis of that data.

Forms

Website forms for feedback or requests which require your email address are only used for responding and your email address is deleted afterwards.

Catalogue-enquiries

Your catalogue search (opac.hu-berlin.de and primus.ub.hu-berlin.de) is recorded. The protocols register a session-ID, your search and subsequently the number of hits. Your search does not lead to any personal identification. This also applies for the time when you are logged on for your search as online catalogue reader.

Data collection during the use of library services

Whenever you use other services of our Library, you normally have to log on and your personal data that are relevant for those services are collected and processed (cf. BenO § UB 2).

Your personal data are inter alia needed for the following services:

• reservation, order and loan of books, periodicals and other media
• requests for content acquisition with first loan consideration, order of processed books
• provision of articles, books and periodicals from other institutions for the use in our library within the scope of the interlibrary loan or other document delivery services
• information about our media stock or other factual requests
• use of our public working stations for your studies and research work

Principally, we only collect and store those personal data which are necessary for the performance of our services or if we are legally bound. The regulations for the use of our library provide the basis for storing your personal data (http://www.ub.hu-berlin.de/bibliothek-benutzen/unsere-regeln/benutzungsordnung).

Your personal data will be deleted on your request and if there exist no legal grounds for their storage as e.g. outstanding debts (cf. BenO § UB 2 Abs. 3).

If you leave your email address on the pages of our online catalogue or PRIMUS online portal, we will use your address only in order to inform you about media which are held available for you, the end of circulation periods and a possible exceeding of those periods (reminders). Please delete your email address in the respective form if you do not need the online service any longer.

Earmarked use and forwarding of data

The earmarked use of data is governed by a strict data policy and hence we process and store your personal data only for the purposes mentioned above. Any forwarding of the data to third parties without the explicit consent of the user shall not take place.

The internal privacy protection is given top priority as well. Our staff members are under the obligation of secrecy and compliance with the legal data privacy regulations. Processed log files of our internet services are automatically deleted after seven days.

Rights of information and revocation

You have a right to be informed about your personal data, which we collected and stored. This information is free of charge. Please contact info@ub.hu-berlin.de.

You also have a right to have inaccurate information corrected. At any time and without giving a reason, you may withdraw your consent to collect and use your personal data provided there exist no legal grounds for the data storage like e.g. outstanding debts for borrowed items (cf. BenO § UB 2 Abs. 3).

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions on data privacy and how your personal data are processed via our website.

You may also request that your personal data on visits to our website shall not be collected, processed or used. Please contact: http://dbspixel.hbz-nrw.de/widerspruch.html.

Please note that the Privacy Policy may change from time to time and it is therefore advisable and necessary to keep yourself constantly informed.

Social networking websites

On our website we do not utilise any plug-ins of social networking websites which forward personal user information (Facebook, Google+, ...).

The University Library exploits Facebook and Twitter for the distribution of relevant topical information. Please note that if you share to these social networking services for the retrieval of University Library information, you are subject to those providers’ data privacy regulations.

Current status: 25 May 2018 / author of the data privacy statement: Michael Voss