The William H. Welch Library (the Library) respects and protects the privacy and confidentiality of users of our online and in-person services.

When you visit the Library managed web sites, our web servers automatically collect and temporarily store the following types of information:

  • Internet address (IP) and network domain from which you visited the Welch site
  • Information about the operating system and browser used
  • Date and time of the visit
  • Pages and links visited
  • Words searched on the Welch web site

The Library’s web servers may also use browser “cookies” or other technologies to maintain session and preference information and to provide other complex functionality. The Library will use cookies to capture IP addresses for collecting data on web usage. Users may disable the use of cookies and other web technologies through their internet browser settings; however, some advanced features of our website may not function properly if these functions are blocked by the browser.

The Library maintains the confidentiality of all user information obtained through reference interviews, circulation and interlibrary borrowing of library materials, and use of library facilities.

On occasion, with JHM Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and with individual library user consent, the Library may collect personal information to conduct user behavior research as part of our effort to continue enhancing our services.

Access to personal information is restricted to authorized library staff who need it to conduct library business. Personal information is never used for commercial purposes and it will not be revealed to any third party except by such process, order, or subpoena authorized by law.

Welch Library websites link to internet sites and services outside the administrative domain of the Library and the Johns Hopkins University. The privacy practices of external websites are not governed by the Library. Although the Library makes every attempt to include user information protections in license agreements, users should read the privacy statements at these sites to determine their practices. The Library does not provide vendors with personal user information.