Privacy policy

Visits at www.kb.dk are anonymous
Visits at the website of the Royal Library are anonymous. We do not register any data that can be used to identify you, unless you yourself sign up for, or log on to, services where it is necessary that you identify yourself to the library. There are, however, a few exceptions (See: ”R egistration in connection with the use of PCs and terminals in the public areas of the library”) .

Registration in connection with the use of PCs and terminals in the public areas of the library
The anti-terror law passed by the Danish Parliament in June 2002 requires that providers of telenet or tele-services ”register and preserve for one year, information about teletraffic for use in investigation and prosecution of illegal activities”. As a consequence, the Royal Library automatically registers transactions carried out by users who via their personal access codes are logged on computers and computer terminals made available by the library. In addition, transactions are registered when a user connects his personal laptop computer to the library’s Internet connection, both via wireless and net cable connections.

E-mail
Both outgoing and incoming e-mails from and to the Royal Library are automatically controlled for virus. Neither individual mail-addresses nor mail-lists are transferred to third parties.  

Statistics
In order to improve and develop the library’s website, statistics are compiled on how our users use the site. The following data is collected:

  • The visitor’s IP-address
  • The URL on the pages visited
  • The time of the visit

To continue to improve our service, the following statistical data is collected in connection with use of the library’s catalogue, Rex.

  • The number of items lent by the different locations of the Royal Library
  • The number of registered users
  • The number of orders of materials registered and completed

Common to all the statistics collected is that they are only used in summarized, anonymous form: To check, for example, how many different visitors the library’s website has, and which web pages are most frequently visited or to evaluate the procedures in connection with ordering materials. No personal data of a sensitive nature is collected, and the statistical information is deleted one month after it is collected.

Information on user identification
To use certain services of the Royal Library, it is necessary to be registered as a user of the library. When you register, you must provide your Danish civil registration number (CPR), name and address. (There is a special registration form for users who do not have a Danish civil registration number.) This information is automatically synchronized with the CPR registry. Sensitive personal data is covered by confidentiality rules, and will neither be transferred to, nor sold to, third parties. Registration is a prerequisite for access to:

Ordering materials in Rex or access to ‘User Status’ in REX.
Access to the Internet via your own PC, when at the Royal Library.
Remote access to the electronic resources in Rex or Elektra.
To obtain remote access you must either be a student or staff member at the University of Copenhagen faculties of the Humanities, Social Sciences, Theology or Law. Read more about Remote Access.


Information on borrowed materials
The Royal Library registers only those items of information about borrowed or ordered materials which are necessary to manage orders, lending of materials and delivery, as well as recalls and billing.
This information is also covered by rules of confidentiality and will only be used for internal library processes. For security reasons it is not possible for others than the library’s personnel to gain access to this information, and it is not provided unless there is a court order. As a rule the connection between the individual loan and the user is not preserved, but deleted one month after the end of the lending period. In cases where there are claims for replacement of lost or damaged materials, this information is retained until the material either is returned or paid for. The materials that are registered as either borrowed or ordered at any time can be checked under your name under User Status in REX.

Cookies
At the Royal Library’s website cookies are used when a user logs on to REX, or wishes to use the Remote Access connection or a wireless network. A cookie is a brief text that is put locally on your computer when you use an internet service. The library uses the cookie to recognize the user and his access privileges. Cookies are not used to collect sensitive personal data, and the data is deleted again after you leave the service and/or close the browser.

You cannot use the above mentioned services without using cookies. But you can be sure that they are removed by choosing in Internet Explorer TOOLS -> Internet Options -> Temporary internet files -> Delete cookies. Be aware though, that this operation also removes other cookies (for example, information on the access ‘key ‘ to your netbank) that may be on your computer. In Netscape, choose Edit -> Options -> and set options for cookies.

Encrypting
All transactions on the Royal Library’s website – thus also in REX – which involve personal data are encrypted. For example, this means that name, address and e-mail in connection with the log on procedure are encrypted, as well as information in connection with the ordering of materials. Encrypting makes the information unreadable for third parties during transmission from your computer to the Royal Library’s server. When the information has reached its destination a ‘ key’ is required to de-code it and re-establish it as readable text.