1 General

This Privacy Statement describes what personal data is processed on this website, the purposes for which it is collected and how such data is collected. It also explains which rights you have in connection with the processing of your personal data.

The Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries (hereinafter referred to as the “Consortium”) is responsible for data processing on this website.

The Consortium is a key player in the Swiss university landscape. All cantonal universities, the ETH Domain, universities of applied sciences, universities of teacher education and the Swiss National Library are members of the Consortium. Other institutions in the fields of education and research, as well as in the public sector in general, are Clients part of the Consortium. The consortium licenses e-resources (electronic journals, databases, e-books) for Members and Clients.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding data protection and data processing on our websites, please contact the Consortium office.

2 Definitions and principles

2.1 What is personal data?

Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person or can be associated with a specific person, such as first name, surname, date of birth, address, email address, etc.

2.2 What is processing?

The terms “editing” or “processing” shall mean any handling of personal data, such as the collection, storage, evaluation and retention of personal data, irrespective of the means and procedures used.

2.3 Processing principles

We process your data only in accordance with the applicable legal provisions:

The members of the Consortium form a simple partnership governed by Swiss law. Insofar as personal data is processed on the website of the Consortium, the Consortium is subject to the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and, where applicable, the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Some members of the Consortium must also comply with the respective applicable cantonal data protection laws.

In addition, we process your personal data only for the purposes set out by law, about which we will inform you transparently or which are recognisable to you. Moreover, your personal data will only be processed to the extent necessary, confidentially, and by authorised persons.

Unless we are required by law to process personal data or because we have an overriding interest in processing your data, we will obtain your consent to process your data.

3        Data processing on our website

3.1       Enquiries made by e-mail and telephone

You may contact us by e-mail or telephone. In the event that you contact us with an enquiry, the following specific personal data about you will be processed, depending on your enquiry: First name, surname, e-mail address, any other contact details and information concerning your request. The data will be used to process your enquiry and will only be stored for as long as is necessary in order to be able to respond to your enquiry or to comply with other legal obligations.

3.2 Log data

When you access our website, the provider of the site automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser transmits to us. These specifically include:

• Browser type and browser version
• Operating system used
• Date and time of the server request
• The user’s IP address

As a rule, no personal reference to you as a website visitor can be made from the technical data alone. However, the technical data may be combined with your personal data (e.g. contact details). On this basis, we receive important information about the use of our websites. Log files are also stored in order to guarantee the functionality of the website and to ensure the security of our information technology systems.

These log data and user behaviour are processed, where applicable, on the basis of our legitimate interest in a functioning website pursuant to Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

3.3 Cookies

We use temporary cookies on our website (so-called “session cookies”) that are necessary in order for certain functionalities of the website to operate. Specifically, we use cookies on our website to make it easier to browse our various subsites and to track and measure browsing behaviour on our pages.

Cookies are individual files that our server or the server of one of our service providers sends to your system when you connect to our website and that your system accepts and stores until the programmed expiry date. Upon each additional visit, your system transmits these codes to our server or to the server of the third party. In this way, you will be recognised even if your identity is unknown.

You can configure your browser settings to block certain cookies or to delete existing cookies and other data stored in the browser. Please note that our website can also be visited with cookies deactivated, although in this case certain functions of our website may not be available to you.

The use of technically necessary cookies and the related processing of your data takes place based on the legal basis of our legitimate interests in creating a user-friendly website pursuant to Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR, insofar as that provision applies.

To the extent that we use cookies that are not technically necessary and process personal data about you in this context, we require your consent pursuant to Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR, insofar as that provision applies. Consent given can be revoked at any time for the future.

3.4 Matomo

We use the Matomo (formerly piwik) web analysis service on our website. Matomo is a service of the provider InnoCraft Ltd., 150 Willis St, 6011 Wellington, New Zealand. The software places a cookie on your computer, which allows your browser to be recognised. If subpages of our website are accessed, the following data are stored:

• Your IP address, abbreviated and (anonymized) by the last two bytes;
• the subpage visited and the time of the visit;
• the page from which you accessed our website (referrer);
• the browser, plugins, operating system and screen resolution used;
• the duration of your stay on our website
• the pages accessed from the subpage visited.

We store the data collected with Matomo on our own servers. There is no disclosure of this data to Matomo or third parties.

We process the data to analyse your web-surfing behaviour on our website and to obtain information about your use of the individual components of our website. This enables us to continually improve the website and its user-friendliness. By anonymising the IP address, we take account of the interests of users in protecting their personal data. Information that can be linked to a specific person is deleted after 12 months.

For purposes of Matomo’s data collection, personal Cookies are set, which is why we request your consent, where applicable, pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.  Visitors’ surfing behaviour is analysed, where applicable, based on our legitimate interest in ensuring the proper functioning of our website pursuant to Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

For more information about the cookies used and the data processing by Matomo, please click on the following link: https://matomo.org/gdpr-analytics/.

4 Legal basis

To the extent the GDPR applies, the following legal bases apply to the data processing in accordance with Section 2 of this Privacy Statement:

• Insofar as your consent is obtained for the processing of your data, Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR serves as the legal basis.
• When processing your personal data for the performance of a contract, Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR serves as the legal basis. This also applies to processing operations that are necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. Insofar as processing of your data is necessary in order to comply with a legal obligation (for example in order to comply with statutory retention obligations), Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR serves as the legal basis.
• If the processing is necessary to safeguard a legitimate interest, Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR serves as the legal basis for the processing.

5 Disclosure of your data

We disclose your data to third parties if we are legally obliged to do so, if this is necessary for the operation of our website and our services, or if you have consented to the disclosure of your data.

6 Location of data processing

The personal data is processed in Switzerland and the EU/EEA. If, exceptionally, personal data is processed in countries outside Switzerland and the EU or the EEA, the security of your data is ensured by other measures, such as in particular the conclusion of contracts providing for such security measures.

7 Retention period of personal data

We process and store your personal data only for as long as is needed to fulfil our contractual and legal obligations, for evidentiary purposes, or to process data in accordance with purposes specified by us or for a purpose that is evident from the circumstances. Your data will then be erased.

8 Your Rights

You have the right of access, rectification, erasure or blocking of your data and, where applicable, the right to data portability. These rights apply to the extent that no legal obligations, such as in particular retention obligations or legitimate interests of the affiliated libraries, conflict with the request.

Your data will only be erased subject to the condition that all outstanding invoices have been paid and that no retention obligations or overriding interests on our part or third parties are in conflict with this.

If you wish to request rectification of your data or information about your personal data, please contact the contact address specified in sec. 10.

You are entitled at any time to withdraw consent you have previously given for data processing. This will not affect lawful processing up to the time you withdraw consent.

You also have a right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authorities, insofar as this applies to you.

9 Technical and organisational measures

We take all reasonable measures that are expedient from a technical/organisational perspective to ensure the security of your personal data.

In order to protect the transfer of confidential content, our website is SSL-encrypted. You can recognise an encrypted link by the “https://” line in the browser address and by the lock icon in your browser address line.

10 Contact

If you have any questions or requests in connection with the processing of your data via our website, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The Consortium’s headquarters are located at:

Konsortium der Schweizer Hochschulbibliotheken
c/o SLSP AG
Kasernenstrasse 77 A/B
8004 Zurich
Switzerland
contact@consortium.ch

11 Amendments

This Privacy Statement may be amended at any time without prior notice. The current version, as published on our website shall govern.