Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Excellence Library Foundation (“The Excellence Library,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all individuals who use our programs, visit our website, borrow materials from our reading room or bookmobile, volunteer with our organization, or make donations to support our mission. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and protect it, and your rights regarding your data.

The Excellence Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (EIN: 31-2839401) registered with the Ohio Secretary of State (#2847130), headquartered at 275 East State Street, Suite 310, Columbus, OH 43215.

Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information in the course of providing our services:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, telephone number, and mailing address provided when you register for programs, volunteer, submit contact forms, or make donations.
• Program Participation Data: Reading level assessments, program enrollment records, attendance records, and progress tracking data used to evaluate and improve our literacy programs.
• Borrowing Records: Titles borrowed from our reading room or bookmobile, dates of checkout and return, and contact information for follow-up on unreturned materials.
• Volunteer Information: Application details, background check results (maintained by our third-party screening provider), training certifications, and service hour records.
• Donation Records: Donor name, contact information, donation amount and date, and payment processing details (handled by our secure third-party payment processor; we do not store credit card numbers).
• Website Usage Data: Standard web server logs including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and referring URLs. We do not use third-party advertising trackers or sell website visitor data.

Library Records Confidentiality (Ohio Rev. Code § 149.432)

Although The Excellence Library is an independent nonprofit and not a public library under Ohio law, we voluntarily adhere to the confidentiality protections established by Ohio Revised Code Section 149.432, which governs the privacy of library patron records. This means that borrowing records, reading assessments, program participation data, and any other information that could reveal the reading habits or intellectual interests of our patrons are treated as strictly confidential. We will not disclose such records to any third party except: (a) with the express written consent of the patron (or their parent/guardian for minors under 18); (b) pursuant to a valid court order or subpoena; or (c) as necessary to protect the safety of our staff, volunteers, or participants.

Minor Consent and Child Privacy

Many of our programs serve children and adolescents under 18 years of age. We collect only the minimum information necessary to deliver our programs safely and effectively. For participants under 18, we require a parent or legal guardian to provide consent before enrollment in any program that involves data collection beyond basic attendance tracking. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through our website. Parents and guardians may review, update, or request deletion of their child’s information at any time by contacting our office.

How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Delivering, administering, and improving our literacy programs and services
• Matching participants with appropriate program levels and reading materials
• Communicating with program participants, volunteers, and donors about schedules, events, and organizational updates
• Tracking and reporting aggregate program outcomes (never individually identifiable data) to funders and stakeholders
• Processing and acknowledging donations for tax receipt purposes
• Maintaining volunteer records for training compliance and safeguarding accountability
• Responding to inquiries submitted through our website or by phone

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information with any third party for marketing, advertising, or commercial purposes. We may share limited information with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our programs (such as our background check provider for volunteer screening and our payment processor for donations), but only to the extent necessary to deliver those specific services, and only under contractual agreements that require those providers to protect your information and prohibit them from using it for their own purposes.

Aggregate, de-identified program data (such as total number of participants served, average reading level improvement, and books distributed) may be shared with funders, grant-making organizations, and research partners including Ohio State University’s College of Education. This data never includes individually identifiable information.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. Digital records are stored on encrypted, access-controlled systems. Paper records containing personal information are kept in locked cabinets accessible only to authorized staff. Background check results are maintained exclusively by our third-party screening provider and are not stored in our local systems. While no system can guarantee absolute security, we are committed to maintaining protections appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we hold.

Your Rights Under CCPA

Although The Excellence Library is based in Ohio, we respect the rights of individuals protected under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and extend equivalent protections to all individuals. You have the right to:

• Know: Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Delete: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions (such as retaining donation records required for tax compliance).
• Non-Discrimination: Exercise your privacy rights without receiving discriminatory treatment from our organization.
• Opt Out: We do not sell personal information. Should this practice ever change, we will provide a clear opt-out mechanism.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Program participation records are retained for five years after a participant’s last active enrollment for longitudinal outcome tracking, then de-identified or deleted. Borrowing records are retained for one year after the last transaction. Volunteer records are retained for three years after the volunteer’s last active service. Donation records are retained for seven years as required by IRS regulations for tax-exempt organizations.

Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses only essential, first-party cookies necessary for basic site functionality (such as form submission state). We do not use third-party advertising cookies, social media tracking pixels, or behavioral analytics platforms. Our web server collects standard access logs for security monitoring and aggregate traffic analysis. These logs are retained for 90 days and are not linked to individual user profiles.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the most recent revision was published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated through a notice on our website homepage.

Contact Us About Privacy

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have concerns about how your information is handled, please contact: