This Privacy Policy covers the web sites www.chicagocollections.org and www.explore.chicagocollections.org (the “Site/s”) and the services (“Services”) available through the Site/s. This Site/s is operated by Chicago Collections Consortium ("CCC" or "we"). This privacy policy sets forth CCC's policy with respect to information including personally identifiable data ("Personal Data") and other information that is collected from visitors to the Site and users of our Services. This privacy policy only applies to CCC. It does not apply to the practices of companies or organizations that CCC does not own or control, or to people that CCC does not employ or manage.

Information Collection

Information You Provide

We do not collect personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary. This policy is your guide to how we will handle information we learn about you from your visit to our Web site. By voluntarily providing us with Personal Data, you are consenting to our use of it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Forms

If you complete any forms on this site and share your personally identifying information, this information will be used only to provide you with more targeted content. We may use your contact information to send further information about our organization or to contact you when necessary. You may always opt-out of receiving future mailings; see the "Opt Out" section below. We do not share or sell your contact information

Email

You also may decide to send us personally identifying information via email containing a question or comment. We use personally identifying information from email primarily to respond to your requests. We may forward your email to other employees who are better able to answer your questions. We may also use your email to contact you in the future about our programs that may be of interest.

We want to be very clear: We will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary.

If you sign up for one of our email lists, we will only send you the kinds of information you have requested. We will not share your name or email address with any outside parties.

Automatically Collected Information

As is true of most websites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data. We use this information to analyze trends, to administer the Site, to understand users’ movements around the Site and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole.

We may also use "cookies" to recognize specific visitors and more quickly provide personalized content, or grant you unimpeded access to the Site. Cookies are small text files a Web site can use to recognize repeat users. With cookies enabled, you may not need to fill in password or contact information. Information gathered through cookies also helps us measure use of our Site. Cookie data allow us to track usage behavior and compile data that we can use to improve the Site.

Generally, cookies work by assigning a unique number to the user that has no meaning outside of the web site that he or she is visiting. You can easily turn off cookies. Most browsers have a feature that allows the user to refuse cookies or issues a warning when cookies are being sent. Please consult the "Help" section of your browser for more information about how to disable cookies. However, our Site will not function as effectively without cookies. Enabling cookies ensures a smooth, efficient visit to our Site.

We may use a third-party tracking service that uses cookies and web beacons to track aggregated anonymized data about visitors to our Site to capture usage and volume statistics to help us improve our Site. We have no access or control over these tracking technologies.

Information Use

In addition to the uses of your information described elsewhere in this privacy policy, we may also use your information in one or more of the following ways.

Communication from CCC

We will use your information to communicate with you and provide you with transactional messages in response to your inquiries, to provide the services you request, and to manage your account. We will send you service-related announcements when it is necessary to do so. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance, we might send you an email.

Statistical Analysis

CCC reserves the right to perform statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics. We do this in order to measure interest in, and use of, the various areas of the Site. Statistical analyses are performed on anonymized, aggregated data.

IP Addresses

CCC may collect IP addresses for system administration and record keeping. Your IP address is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. Our servers record incoming IP addresses. By tracking IP addresses, we can determine which web sites refer the most people to CCC. The IP addresses are analyzed in the aggregate.

Sharing Information With Third Parties

Sharing Aggregate Information (non-personally identifiable) with Third Parties

We may share aggregated demographic information about our user base with our partners and advertisers. This information does not identify individual users. We do not link aggregate user data with personally identifiable information.

Integrating Third Party Services

One of the features of the Service is that it integrates information from various third party services like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and other social media services ("Third Party Service(s)"). To take advantage of the Services, you may need to provide your login credentials for each Service that you connect to. When you add a Third Party Services account to the Service, we will collect relevant information necessary to enable the Service to access that Third Party Service and your data contained within that Third Party Service. As part of such integration, the Third Party Service will provide us with access to certain information that you have provided to the Third Party Service, and we will use, store and disclose such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We do not control these social media services or your profiles on these services, and we do not establish privacy settings or rules for how your personal information on these services will be used. If you choose to log on to or submit information through any of these social media services, your personal information will be subject to the applicable social media service's terms and conditions and your current privacy settings on such social media service. By accessing any social media service, you will be assuming the risk that the Personal Data you provide on that service may be viewed and/or used by third parties for any purpose. You agree that we are not responsible for any acts or omissions by these social media service providers.

In addition, by choosing to log in to our Site or using our Services using your credentials from a social media service, you are asking that service to send us certain information from your account with the service, and you authorize us to collect, store and use such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Disclosures Required By Law

We reserve the right to disclose your Personal Data 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 us.

Merger Or Other Acquisition

We may transfer your Personal Data to a successor entity upon a merger, consolidation or other corporate reorganization in which CCC participates or to a purchaser of all or substantially all of CCC's assets to which this Site and its Services relates.

Accessing, Changing Or Deleting Your Information

We endeavor to ensure that your Personal Data is accurate by collecting it directly from you and providing you with the ability to update it.

If your Personal Data changes, you may request us to correct or update your Personal Data by emailing our Customer Support, or by contacting us by postal mail at the address listed on the Chicago Collections main website.

Links To Other Web Sites

This Site contains links to other web sites that are not owned or controlled by CCC. Please be aware that CCC is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other web sites. This privacy policy applies only to information collected by this Site and the services available through the Site. We take no responsibility for, and exercise no control over, the organizations, privacy policies, views, or accuracy of the information contained on other servers.

Security Of Your Personal Information

CCC takes reasonable steps to help protect and secure your personal information. However, please remember that no data storage or data transmission over the Internet, or by other means, can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Thus, CCC cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us. Therefore, you understand, acknowledge and agree that you transmit your Personal Data to our Site at your own risk.

Changes To This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please check for change notices on a regular basis. If we decide to change our privacy policy in a material way, we will post a prominent change notice on the Site, and we may notify you by email of those changes so that you continue to be aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, please email us at support@chicagocollections.org, or visit the Chicago Collections contact page.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on November 11, 2015.