Changes to where membership data is held
Why are we making this change?
The reason for this change is so that we can continue to offer modern library services and to maintain robust security of library and customer information. In the constantly-evolving and fast-moving world of technology services, it’s really important that our library management systems are future-proofed.
In addition to continuing to provide a secure service to our customers, making these changes now also means that our systems will be able to benefit from future enhancements.
What information is held in my customer record?
The information you provided when you joined the library is stored in your library customer record, including your name, your date of birth, your contact email address, and your home address.
I don’t want my membership data going to Australia. What are my options?
The new data centre meets ISO international standards for security and reliability. Library information held there will be accessed via an encrypted virtual private network, and will not be exposed to the public internet. We are confident that library information including membership data will remain secure. We hope this provides reassurance for our customers.
If you do not wish for your own data to be part of this move, you may choose to cancel your library membership no later than Monday 13 May. We are not able to make any exceptions to library membership information being moved to the Australia-based data centre. Note that while borrowing is not possible without membership, there are many in-library services that will remain available.
How long is my data kept?
Our library has a policy to remove customer data if the library card is not used for a period of 2 years. If you would like your data to be removed from our systems sooner, please get in touch with us to request this.
Note that if there are any outstanding fees owing on the account, these will need to be paid before the account can be fully closed.
What was the process for making this decision?
Taupō District Libraries is a member of a New Zealand-wide consortium of public libraries called Kōtui, which is managed by the National Library of New Zealand.
The National Library, as part of the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), followed the expected project protocols to ensure that all systems and vendors involved were compliant with DIA security requirements.
The National Library then shared all project documentation with Taupō District Libraries. Based on this information our management team agreed to this infrastructure change, as did all other members (40 local councils) of the Kōtui consortium.
What vendor and data centres are being used?
The library management system vendor is:
- SirsiDynix: www.sirsidynix.com
The Australian data centres being used are:
- Equinix: Equinix facility ME 2, Port Melbourne
- YourDC: DC1 Edinburgh Parks, Adelaide