Personal Data Usage and Library Accounts

The personal account referred to in EBSCO’s consent agreement is your account with the MSU Libraries. MSU affiliates automatically have a library account; community borrowers can have a library account created by Circulation staff. Your library account allows you to conduct business with the MSU Libraries in the form of borrowing books and other library materials, requesting books for pick up or delivery, canceling requests, viewing your checked out materials and due dates, and renewing checked out items. Consent to the personal account allows you to manage your MSU Libraries account online in EDS.

If you select No on EBSCO’s consent form, you will still be able to use the MSU Libraries’ collections and services. You can search the EDS catalog, access electronic resources (with your MSU NetID), check out library books and materials (in person). Your MSU Libraries account will still be active, but you will not be able to place requests or manage your account online in EDS.

EBSCO uses your personal information, such as your MSU NetID, to allow you to authenticate and log into your MSU Libraries account via a web browser. EBSCO does not retain your personal information in EDS, the online interface.

The MSU Libraries shares MSU NetID’s and community borrower usernames, email addresses, and names with EBSCO in order to support standard library operations and as a means for you to log into your library account via EDS, the online interface.

According to EBSCO’s legal team, EBSCO will not disclose personal information to third parties. EBSCO has never disclosed personal information to third parties.

 EDS displays your personal information in your MSU Libraries account only if you 1) agree to EBSCO’s privacy policy; 2) authenticate with the correct username and password for your library account; and 3) click on the Loans or Requests link in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

In browse mode, EDS does not display any personally identifiable information about checked out books or outstanding requests for a book that appear in the search results. EDS only displays the status as Checked Out and shows the due date for any checked out items.

Your personal information, or user record, lives in the Users app in FOLIO, our library services platform. It is not embedded in EDS nor retained by EBSCO.

User records in FOLIO contain personally identifiable information such as first name, last name, middle name, preferred first name, MSU NetID or FOLIO ID, UUID, address(es), phone number(s), and email address. Your checked out items, requests, fees/fines are also in your user record until returned or resolved. Much of the personal information in the user record is populated via a data feed from MSU Identity Management.

Only library staff with assigned permissions to view user records in FOLIO can see the personal information in your MSU Libraries account. Generally, EBSCO does not have access to your personal information or your library account.

 Your personal information associated with your checked out books or requests for a specific book is available in your user record in FOLIO, the library services platform, and can be viewed only by library staff who have permission to view open loans or open requests on a user record. Only library staff with permission to view open loans or open requests in FOLIO are able to access your library account and see what items you are currently borrowing or requesting. EBSCO does not have access to your borrowing history.

Your personal information associated with your closed loans (i.e., returned books checked in by staff) remains in your user record for one day to allow Circulation staff time to assess any physical damage.

Your library account remains as a user record in FOLIO until deleted by library staff. Deletion can occur if and only if either the account’s expiration date has passed or you have no open loans, no open requests, and no outstanding fees/fines.

EBSCO does not track your searches or requests in EDS. EDS is set up for all users in browse mode so you are not required to log in to search and browse the library’s collections. If you wish to save or share your search results, you may create a personal MyEBSCO account. The MyEBSCO account is optional and is not associated with or connected to your MSU Libraries account.

You will be prompted to consent every time you attempt to log into your MSU Libraries account until you agree. Once you agree, you will no longer be prompted to consent.