Beacon Villages Community Library (BVCL)
Website: bvcl.org.uk
Last updated: 23 September 2026
1. About this Privacy Policy
Beacon Villages Community Library (“BVCL”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we may collect when you use the BVCL website, why we may use it, how we protect it, and the rights you have in relation to your personal information.
This policy applies primarily to information collected through the our website and through direct contact with us.
Some library services linked from this website are provided by other organisations. Those organisations have their own privacy arrangements, which apply when you use their services.
2. Who is responsible for your information?
BVCL is a community-run library service operated by volunteers and supported by Buckinghamshire Council.
This website provides information about the library and directs users to external library services, including Buckinghamshire Council’s online library system, Spydus.
Where you use a service operated by another organisation, that organisation may be responsible for the personal information processed through that service.
If you are unsure who is responsible for particular information, please contact BVCL and we will try to direct your enquiry to the appropriate organisation.
3. Personal information we may collect
This website is primarily an information website. We do not require visitors simply browsing the website to create an account or provide personal information.
Depending on how you interact with us, we may receive or hold information such as:
- your name;
- email address;
- telephone number;
- postal address;
- information contained in correspondence you send to us;
- information you provide when volunteering or supporting the library;
- information necessary to administer library activities, events or other services; and
- technical information generated when you use the website, such as IP address, browser type and information about your device, where this is made available to us by our website hosting or security systems.
We will only ask for information that is reasonably necessary for the particular purpose for which it is being collected.
4. Information submitted by email
If you contact us by email, we will receive the email address from which you contact us and any personal information contained in your message.
We use this information to:
- respond to your enquiry;
- provide information or assistance;
- deal with a request or problem;
- administer the library or its activities where appropriate; or
- keep an appropriate record of correspondence.
We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties.
We do not use information supplied through an ordinary enquiry to create advertising profiles.
5. Library membership and borrowing information
BVCL is part of the Buckinghamshire library network.
Library membership, borrowing, reservations, renewals and related services are provided through Buckinghamshire Council’s library systems. This website directs members to the Buckinghamshire Council Spydus system for online catalogue, reservation and loan-management functions.
This website should therefore not be regarded as the system holding your library membership or borrowing record.
Buckinghamshire Libraries, including BVCL, participate in the South East Library Management System (SELMS) Consortium and borrower records are held on a shared database. Information is made available to staff in another authority when a member chooses to borrow or reserve items from that authority.
Questions about your library membership record, borrowing history, PIN, reservations or other personal information held in the Buckinghamshire library system should normally be directed to Buckinghamshire Council Libraries.
6. Information provided when using external services
This website contains links to services operated by other organisations.
These include Buckinghamshire Council’s Spydus library service and digital services such as e-books and audiobooks. These services require library membership information such as a library card number and PIN.
When you follow a link to an external service, your use of that service is governed by the service provider’s own privacy policy and terms.
We do not control the personal information collected by those external services.
7. Website technical information
When you visit a website, technical information may be generated automatically by the website, its hosting provider, security services or other technical infrastructure.
This may include information such as:
- IP address;
- date and time of access;
- pages requested;
- browser and operating-system information;
- referring website; and
- information relating to website security or technical errors.
Such information may be used for purposes including:
- delivering the website;
- maintaining website security;
- preventing abuse or malicious activity;
- diagnosing technical problems; and
- understanding basic website operation.
We do not use this technical information for targeted advertising.
8. Cookies
This website uses cookies that are necessary for the technical operation of the website.
We do not knowingly use cookies for targeted advertising or behavioural advertising.
Some external services linked to or embedded in the website may use their own cookies or similar technologies. Those services are responsible for explaining their own use of cookies.
For further information, please see the our Cookie Policy.
9. Why we use personal information
Where we processes personal information, we may use it for purposes including:
- responding to enquiries;
- communicating with members, volunteers and supporters;
- organising library activities and events;
- administering volunteers;
- maintaining appropriate records;
- operating and protecting the website;
- dealing with requests or complaints;
- complying with legal or regulatory obligations; and
- protecting the library, its users, volunteers and property.
We will not use personal information for a substantially different purpose without an appropriate legal basis for doing so.
10. Legal basis for processing
UK data-protection law requires organisations to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:
- Consent – where you have voluntarily agreed to a particular use of your information;
- Contract – where processing is necessary to provide a service or fulfil an agreement with you;
- Legal obligation – where we are required to process information by law;
- Legitimate interests – where processing is reasonably necessary for the operation and administration of the library and those interests are not overridden by your rights; or
- Vital interests – in the limited circumstances in which processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.
The appropriate legal basis depends on the particular activity.
11. Sharing personal information
We do not sell personal information.
We may share information where this is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, where we have a legal obligation to do so, or where another organisation is responsible for providing the relevant service.
For example, library membership and borrowing services are provided through the Buckinghamshire library system rather than through this website.
Where an external organisation processes information on our behalf, we expect appropriate arrangements to be in place to protect that information.
12. How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer period is required by law or is necessary for legitimate record-keeping purposes.
The retention period will therefore depend on the type of information.
For example, routine correspondence may not need to be retained indefinitely, whereas records relating to financial, legal or governance matters may need to be retained for longer.
Where information is held within Buckinghamshire Council’s library systems, its retention is governed by the arrangements applicable to those systems rather than this website’s retention practices.
13. Security
We take reasonable measures to protect personal information against:
- unauthorised access;
- accidental loss;
- misuse;
- alteration; and
- unauthorised disclosure.
No method of transmitting information over the internet or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
14. Children’s information
This website may provide information about services and activities available to children and young people.
We do not knowingly use the website to collect unnecessary personal information from children.
Where a service involving children requires personal information, the organisation responsible for that service will provide the relevant information about how that information is collected and used.
For example, Buckinghamshire library membership and associated services are administered through the wider library service.
15. Your data-protection rights
Under UK data-protection law, you may have rights including:
- the right to be informed about how your personal information is used;
- the right to access personal information held about you;
- the right to have inaccurate information corrected;
- the right to request deletion of information in certain circumstances;
- the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances;
- the right to object to certain processing; and
- the right to data portability in circumstances where that right applies.
These rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions.
If the information you are asking about is held by Buckinghamshire Council or another organisation rather than BVCL, you may need to make your request directly to that organisation.
16. How to contact us
For questions about personal information processed directly by us, please contact:
Beacon Villages Community Library
Email: info@bvcl.org.uk
Telephone: 01296 387890
These contact details are also published by Buckinghamshire Council.
If your question concerns your Buckinghamshire library membership, borrowing record, PIN, reservations or other information held within the Buckinghamshire library system, we may need to refer you to Buckinghamshire Council Libraries.
17. Complaints
If you have a concern about the way we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and respond.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully.
The ICO is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights.
18. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when our website, services or data-processing arrangements change.
The date at the beginning of this policy shows when it was last reviewed.
We will update the policy where changes materially affect the way personal information is collected or used.