Privacy Policy

Effective on: 8/1/2008

The James J. Hill Reference Library understands that many of our clients do not want their personal information to be shared indiscriminately. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect data, what we do with it, and what controls clients have. We are committed to ensuring the privacy of your personally identifiable information, protecting the security of financial transactions, and preserving the integrity of the medium.

Verisign Seal

TRUSTe Certificate


This privacy policy refers solely to the privacy policy of the James J. Hill Reference Library and its Web site. Please read it carefully, and if you have any questions or concerns, contact us info@jjhill.org.


NOTE: Hill Library Web sites, including HillSearch, have numerous links to other sites not controlled by the Hill Library. Those sites may have their own privacy policies that differ substantially from the Hill Library Privacy Policy; please consult those sites directly to learn more about their policies.


Gathering and Use of Information

The James J. Hill Reference Library does not collect personally identifiable information from our clients other than what is supplied to us on a voluntary basis (such as name, credit card information, address, email address, telephone number, and/or other identifying information) when you email us, respond to surveys, become a member, become a donor, and/or correspond with a Hill Library Business Information Specialist.


Email Addresses and Email Mailing Lists

The James J. Hill Reference Library maintains a database with email addresses of members, donors or other clients who have emailed us or voluntarily provided us with their email address. We may use these addresses to send our clients information about the James J. Hill Reference Library, its programs, services, membership, and/or fundraising activities. The email mailing lists are for the sole use of the James J. Hill Reference Library. We do not sell, exchange or lend out our email lists to outside companies, organizations, or individuals without your prior permission. You can have your email address removed from the James J. Hill Reference Library email list at any time by sending an email to info@jjhill.org info@jjhill.org, or by following the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email you receive from the Library.


Credit Card Security

For transactions occurring through the Hill Library Web site, we contract with Transaction Central to ensure credit card security. Transaction Central uses the safest and most secure technology available to protect your information, including state-of-the-art data protection. All of your personal information (e.g., credit card, name, address, application data, etc.) is encrypted and protected as it travels over the Internet. For more information on credit card security, please email us at info@jjhill.org..


Sharing of Information

For general site visitors, the Hill Library does not sell, lease, or reveal your personal information, except in aggregate (anonymous) form or except when required by law. All identifiers are stripped out first, so no personally identifiable information about you ever leaves our premises. We reserve the right to disclose your personally identifiable information as required by law and when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on our Web site. For example, in order to protect our property rights or in the event of an exigent circumstance.

Hill Library Members who use the HillSearch Member portion of the Web site have provided the Hill Library with identifiable information during Membership signup. HillSearch Membership online usage has specific restrictions outlined in the Membership Agreement, and based solely on the determination of the Hill Library, identifiable information may be shared with third parties if it is determined that a Member is violating any portion of the Membership Agreement.

For HillSearch Members and/or anyone who participates in using "Live Chat/Talk," outside companies/software developers may monitor chat sessions and thus any identifiable information clients share during a "Live Chat" session is beyond the control of the James J. Hill Reference Library. In order for the Hill Library to adequately assist Live Chat users, the Hill Library collects usernames, email addresses and phone numbers.


Confidentiality

Whether you're visiting the James J. Hill Reference Library in person or communicating with a Hill Library Business Information Specialist via phone or email, your correspondence is completely confidential. We may share all or parts of any research question with another Business Information Specialist to help answer your question, but your information and the nature of your question will not be shared with any outside parties or other clients. We recognize that many clients use the Hill Library when starting a new business or expanding their existing business, and we know that the information you're gathering is highly proprietary. Please note, however, that the Hill Library's online "Live Chat/Talk" software is run by an outside organization. Although unlikely, it is possible for the third-party software vendor to monitor Live Chat sessions, therefore the confidentiality of questions asked during Live Chat sessions is beyond the control of the Hill Library. If you are concerned that the nature of your question and conversation remain confidential, we recommend communicating with a Hill Library Business Information Specialist in person or by phone or email. For more information on our confidentiality policy, please contact us at info@jjhill.org, or by calling 651-265-5500 or 1-877-700-HILL.


Access & Accuracy

If a user’s personally identifiable information changes (such as zip code, phone, email or postal address), or if a user no longer desires our service, we will provide a way to correct, update or delete/deactivate that user’s personally identifiable information provided to us. This can be done by emailing us at info@jjhill.org. Or, you may contact us by telephone or postal mail at the contact information listed below. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity, such as requesting your password and user ID, before making changes to your data.


Cookies and Browsers

A "cookie" on the Web is a unique number assigned by a Web site to a user's visit to that site. In general, cookies are used to allow access to certain content based on a user login and password, to customize a user's experience, to count how many people visit a site, and to track which pages on a site receive visits. Aside from cookies assigned during the login to special content areas, the information a cookie collects is totally anonymous.

When visiting any Web site, your browser sends information to the site's hosting server identifying the browser you're using, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), the page you last visited, and the page you're currently visiting. Your browser does not, however, send any personally identifying information to Web sites unless you explicitly provide that information via a form. Thus, the James J. Hill Reference Library cannot extract any personally identifying information about you from what we receive via your browser.

When visiting any Web site, your browser sends information to the site's hosting server identifying the browser you're using, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), the page you last visited, and the page you're currently visiting. Your browser does not, however, send any personally identifiable information to Web sites unless you explicitly provide that information via a form. Thus, the James J. Hill Reference Library cannot extract any personally identifiable information about you from the data we receive via your browser.

The James J. Hill Reference Library uses cookies to help us determine how visitors use our site so we can improve your online experience. The cookie is "set" during the login process to HillSearch Membership and the only identifying information we collect is based on the information provided during Membership signup. For those clients who sign up for HillSearch Membership, please visit the HillSearch Membership Agreement to learn about Membership usage restrictions and how we determine usage based on the information collected in cookies and via site traffic monitoring.
Other cookies we may use do not contain any personally identifiable information. The information gathered in cookies is used only by us in order to obtain better statistics on traffic throughout our site and to learn how specific content and services are being used. Please be aware that cookies we use during your online visit may be saved to your computer's hard disk.


TRUSTe Certification

The James J. Hill Reference Library is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. TRUSTe is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to build users trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the use of fair information practices. Because this Web site, www.jjhill.org, wants to demonstrate its commitment to your privacy, it has agreed to disclose its information practices and have its privacy practices reviewed for compliance by TRUSTe.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, you should first contact info@jjhill.org. If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should contact TRUSTe. TRUSTe will then serve as a liaison with the Web site to resolve your concerns.

Acceptance of the James J. Hill Reference Library Privacy Policy

By using this site, you signify your acceptance of the James J. Hill Reference Library Privacy Policy. If you do not accept the terms of our policy, please do not use this site. You can send your comments or questions about the Web site to us at info@jjhill.org. We reserve the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this policy at any time. However, if we plan to use your personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection, we will prominently display notice on the site 30 days prior to any new uses of your information. You will then have a choice as to whether or not we use your information in this different manner. Check this page periodically for any changes. Your continued use of this Web site following the posting of any changes to these terms means that you have accepted the changes.

Contact Information

We welcome your comments regarding this Privacy Policy. If you believe that we have not adhered to this Policy, please contact us by telephone, email, or postal mail.

James J. Hill Reference Library
80 West 4th Street
St. Paul, MN 55102
651-265-5500
info@jjhill.org

Thank you for visiting us.