At UO Libraries we respect all UO Pressbooks users’ right to privacy and recognize our responsibility to safeguard that privacy. We believe that when we do collect and retain data about our users, it is important to be transparent about how we collect and use that data. We run web analytics on our Pressbooks network that records user data. On this page we share: what data we are collecting, how we are collecting data, why we’re collecting it, how it is being used, and who has access to the data.
If you have any questions about our data privacy policy, please reach out to the OER team at oer@uoregon.edu.
What user data do we collect?
We use two web analytics tools to collect data about people who use the UO Pressbooks network. Koko analytics is a privacy-conscious analytics tool that is built into Pressbooks. We also run Google Analytics on the website. These tools collect information that most web browsers collect automatically. Both Koko analytics and Google analytics uses cookies to distinguish between new site visitors and returning visitors. There is an opt out browser add-on from Google that blocks Google’s cookies and allows website visitors to prevent their data from being used by Google Analytics. We’ve customized Google Analytics on our Pressbooks network to turn off granular device location data collection, user ID data collection and Google signals data collection. We also do not collect or use any of Google Analytics marketing, advertising or demographics features. Through both our analytics tools we collect information about:
- User’s location (region only e.g. state or province)
- Browser and device type
- Search terms (in aggregate only, not linked to single users)
- Pages viewed
- Referrer websites (what website brought you to Pressbooks; e.g. a Canvas link or web browser)
- What links users click to leave the site
- Number of book downloads and download type (e.g. PDF, EPUB)
- Number of file downloads for any linked files.
Pressbooks Account Holders
Most visitors to the UO Pressbook network are readers. Readers do not need accounts to access books published on the network. Some visitors will also be account holders. You may have a Pressbooks account because you are a UO Faculty or Staff OER author, or because you’re a UO student contributing to a Pressbooks book or reading private content that requires being logged in.
If you have a Pressbooks account, we collect more information about you, including personally identifying information. This includes: how many edits you make to books within Pressbooks, your contributions to books, personal information you choose to enter into your user profile, and your uoregon email address. UO Pressbooks network admins (the OER team) have access to this information for every book and every user. Within a book, admin, editor and author user roles have access to some of this information for their book only. Pressbooks collects this information, and allows Pressbook network administrators book authors to view it, to facilitate the functions of the platform. Including logging into your account with your email, collaborative editing and version control, and attribution and author information. UO Pressbooks network admins don’t share any of this information, it’s only used within the Pressbooks platform. To learn more about how Pressbooks uses the information they collect from account holders you can read the Pressbooks Privacy Policy. To learn more about your rights and responsibilities as a UO Pressbooks account holder, you can visit our Terms of Service.
Why do we collect web analytics data?
We collect web analytics data to demonstrate the impact of the OER we support and fund through UO Libraries. Location data and referrer information tells us when OER are being used at UO and beyond. Page view and download data helps the instructors who wrote the OER demonstrate the impact and reach of their work. Some of the analytics, like chapter views and link clicks, may help instructors improve or edit their OER. Web analytics user data can never replace student feedback or capture the full picture of how an OER is accessed and used. When we share aggregated user data with instructors and others, we remind them that this data is only a snapshot of a larger picture.
Who do we share Pressbooks user data with?
- Raw Pressbooks user data is never shared beyond the two-person OER team.
- Aggregated analytics data is shared with OER authors and may be shared with administrators and other library and university employees internally, and externally at conferences about Open Education and learning technology.
- Internally, we share this data to evaluate the effectiveness of our OER program, demonstrate the impact of our OER support, and to advocate for resources and funding.
- Externally, we share this data with the Open Education community to participate in conversations about tools and best practices for OER data collection and analysis.
- We strive to be transparent with OER authors and anyone else we share user data with, by explaining the strengths and limitations of the data and how to use it responsibly.
- None of the web-analytics data is personally identified and it is only shared after being aggregated, and no one outside the OER team can download the underlying raw-data.
- Pressbooks: Pressbooks is a private third-party company. Pressbooks has access to Koko analytics data, but not to our Google Analytics data. You can read Pressbooks’ privacy policy to learn more about how they use your data.
- Google: because we use Google Analytics on the UO Pressbooks network, that data is shared with Google. For more information on how Google may use your data, visit Google’s How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services page, and Google’s Privacy Policy.
How to Protect Your Data Online:
Anytime you use the internet, you are being tracked online. By website owners like us who want to know who is looking at their website, and by advertisers, social media companies, and others. Not all trackers are inherently bad, they help the UO OER team demonstrate the importance of OER, they help people improve their websites, and are an important part of generating revenue for many news sites and artists.
If you want to minimize the ability of sites to track you, browser extensions like Privacy Badger can help. You can learn more about protecting data online on UP’s Digital Privacy Checkup LibGuide.
Acknowledgements
This data privacy statement draws on and was inspired by Oklahoma State University Libraries Library Teaching and Learning Team Data Privacy guidelines which were created by Cristina Colquhoun and updated by Kathy Essmiller.
License
The UO Libraries Pressbooks Privacy Policy by Allia Service and Rayne Vieger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.