How do you secure your library data?

1 Assess your data needs and sources

Before you collect, store, or analyze any data, you need to have a clear purpose and plan for it. What are your goals and objectives for using data? What types of data do you need and how will you obtain them? How will you ensure that the data is relevant, accurate, and reliable? How will you handle sensitive or personal data, such as patron names, contact details, borrowing history, or online activity? You should conduct a data audit to identify and evaluate your data needs and sources, and document your data policies and procedures.

2 Implement data security measures

Data security is essential to protect your data from unauthorized access, use, modification, or disclosure. To ensure your data is secure, you should implement security measures throughout its lifecycle, from collection to disposal. Encryption and strong passwords are important for securing data in transit and at rest. Backing up your data regularly and storing it in a secure location, such as a cloud service or an external hard drive, can also help protect it. Limiting access to authorized staff and users with role-based permissions and authentication systems is another essential measure. Additionally, it’s important to update software and hardware regularly to fix any vulnerabilities or bugs. Finally, educating staff and users about data security best practices will help keep your data safe.

3 Follow data governance principles

Data governance is the set of rules and standards that guide how you manage and use your data. It helps ensure that your data is consistent, compliant, and trustworthy. To accomplish this, you should monitor and maintain the quality of your data, such as checking for errors, duplicates, or inconsistencies and correcting or deleting them as needed. You should also respect the rights and interests of your data subjects by obtaining their consent, informing them about how their data is used, and allowing them to access or delete their data if they wish. Additionally, it's important to adhere to relevant laws and regulations that apply to your data, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as well as follow industry standards and best practices for your sector. Lastly, you should assign roles and responsibilities for your data by appointing a data officer, a data team, or a data committee, and defining their tasks and accountabilities.

4 Review and update your data practices

Data security and governance are not static or one-time activities, and require ongoing review and update to keep up with changing library and user needs. To ensure your data practices are up-to-date, you should conduct regular data audits and assessments, solicit feedback from staff and users, research and implement new technologies, and update policies and procedures as needed. Securing library data is not only a matter of compliance and protection, but also a matter of quality and value; following the best practices will help you secure your library data while supporting your mission and vision.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?