Last spring, the SAILS libraries voted to remove titles and authors from email notices, as part of the effort to enhance privacy measures for SAILS patrons. We all realized that a title may be enough to reveal potentially sensitive and personal information. Imagine putting a hold on a book about a health or relationship issue and not remembering to close your email message, leaving it open for anyone to see. Have you ever had the email alert pop-up on your phone, saying your book is ready? Again, that's not private. More often than not, this isn't an issue, but for when it is, we need to respect and protect an individual's right to privacy. The SAILS office plans to implement this change on Monday, November 21.
All notices sent via email, including hold pickup notices, hold reminders, overdue notices, pre-due notices, and assumed lost notices, will no longer include the title or author. The notices will, however, include a direct link to My Account with the barcode field already entered, so you'll only need to enter your password. If you want to look up the title information, just click on the link and enter your password to see which titles are available or due. The notices
will also include the item barcode and item type.
Text and automated voice notices have always excluded this information. Printed and mailed assumed lost notices and bills will continue to contain title/author information. If you would like to create a more secure password, follow this link to the password reset form: https://sails.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/changepinpage/SYMWS/DEFAULT/$N
The reset link will go to the email address in your library record. Please contact your library if you need your account updated with your email address or if you have any questions.
On October 6th, library staff will no longer be able to view PINs/Passwords. If you forget your login, staff will need to reset your PIN/password. This document will hopefully answer your questions about the change. Please contact your library if you have any questions. Read more in our FAQ.
Why are we making this change?
It is a standard practice that “User personal identification numbers (PINs) and Passwords stored in the Library Management System should be encrypted so that only the user has access to them, i.e. library staff cannot view them… In addition, the LMS should provide users with the ability to set their PIN/Password themselves without having to reveal it to library staff.”
In addition to being unavailable for view by library staff, secured PINs/Passwords are also inaccessible to people who gain unauthorized access to the system through a data breach. Masking both staff and patron PINs/Passwords is essential to maintaining the security of the system.