I: Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to regulate the use of video surveillance and recording on the Tolono Public Library District premises. The Tolono Public Library District operates a video surveillance system to provide a safe and secure environment for its patrons and staff.
Information obtained through video surveillance will be used exclusively to assist with the investigation of incidents, including theft, vandalism, personal injury or property damage, and for security and law enforcement purposes, which must relate to the protection of the Library patrons, staff and the public, or deterrence or detections of criminal activity. Video surveillance of the Library premises will be conducted in a professional, ethical, and legal manner, in accordance with the following principles: a) video surveillance must
be conducted in accordance with the laws of Illinois; b) video surveillance will be used by only Library employees authorized by the Library Director; c) appropriate signs and notice of video surveillance will be posted outside of the Library to notify the public that the Library is under video surveillance.
II: Authority and Responsibility
The Library Director will provide input on the placement of cameras on the Tolono Public Library District premises. The Library Director is responsible for monitoring the surveillance systems. The Library Director and contracted IT services are responsible for hardware and software specification, configuration, and maintenance. Staff will notify the Library Director of any equipment failures or other problems.
III: Access
Access to surveillance footage is restricted to the Library Director and the Library Board President and members of the Tolono Police Department. The Library Director may authorize access to surveillance footage to staff, to the extent required by their job responsibilities. Each user of the surveillance system logs in with unique credentials and access if logged for audit purposes. Unauthorized access, exporting, or sharing live or recorded video surveillance footage by an employee may be grounds for disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
IV: Monitoring
Video surveillance of the premises is conducted at all times when the Library is open during normal business hours. Library premises may also be subject to video surveillance after hours. Video surveillance is reviewed on an incident related and bi-weekly basis. Periodically, cameras may be monitored in real time by authorized staff. From time to time, the Library’s video surveillance may be
monitored in real time by the Tolono Police Department. However, there is no expectation that footage is monitored in real time by library personnel or the Tolono Police Department for security or other purposes.
V: Restrictions and Limitations
All cameras shall have audio capture capabilities disabled. No audio may be recorded, streamed or transmitted at any time. Cameras shall not be installed or operated in areas where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
VI: Storage
Video surveillance will be kept for no less than 30 days and destroyed in accordance with the Local Records Act. Video surveillance systems will be designed with a targeted retention range of approximately 30 days. However, this may vary widely since data storage usage depends on image quality settings, frame rates, scene traffic, and other variables. As video footage grows over time, the oldest recordings are automatically purged from the storage media to make space for newer recordings.
VII: Signage
Signs are located outside of the Tolono Public Library District notifying patrons that the building and premises are under video surveillance.
VIII: Notification to Employees
Current employees have been informed and new employees will be informed upon date of hire that Tolono Public Library District utilizes video surveillance.
IX: Request for Copies
All requests for copies of video surveillance are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). According to FOIA, requests must be made in writing and are subject to state and federal laws as related to confidentiality and dissemination of information related to minors. Nothing in this provision preempts the dissemination of video surveillance to law enforcement. The Tolono Public Library District also complies with the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act, 75 ILCS 70 et seq.
X: Exports and Archives Procedure
The Library Director or designee will be notified of all requests for exported video footage to be furnished to law enforcement or other outside agencies, or for archival beyond normal time periods. The same applies to requests from law enforcement for remote access to the library district’s surveillance systems when applicable.
When footage extraction or archival is requested, the specific dates and times must be as specific as possible and limited only to particular views and time windows, because high resolution video footage uses very large amounts of storage space. The Library Director will maintain a record of export requests, including dates, times, locations, requestor, subject, and recipient of the footage.
Revised 04/2023