FSU Libraries Card Swipe Turnstile Data & You

The following are some Q&As about the FSU Libraries Card Swipe Turnstile Data collected at Strozier & Dirac Science Libraries:

Why do we collect card swipe data when you enter and exit Strozier and Dirac Libraries?

Facilities and Programming. Turnstile card swipe data reports help us understand Library usage trends among FSU students, faculty, and staff. We use card swipe data to determine facility hours and staffing needs as well as which programs will best serve FSU students. The Library use live aggregated data to understand the number of people in our facilities at any given time.

FSU Library Security and FSU Police Department may pull card swipe data to investigate incidents and to determine if individuals who are not permitted into the building are prevented from having access.

Who has access?

FSU Libraries Security Team and the FSU Police Department can check what card was swiped into the building for investigative purposes; The Office of Institutional Research, Information Technology Services (ITS), and other campus entities may access this data at their discretion.

What type of data is associated with my card when I swipe it?

When you swipe, the data associated with your card includes information that the University Registrar's office has on file.  For example, your name, your EMPLID, and your demographic information are associated with your card whenever you swipe into any campus facility.  The Library's designated assessment professionals often look at aggregate data to determine facility usage trends.  Here is an example of how this data is visualized. If at any time these professionals wish to collect more sensitive data (such as your GPA), a formal IRB-approved study will be initiated, and you will be asked for your consent prior to your data being used.

Some FSU cards have associated SunTrust account information. Account information is private and protected data that no one besides the individual cardholder and SunTrust bank staff can access.  We cannot see any financial information to which you are linked.

Where is my card swipe data stored when I swipe in the building?

Data is stored on a local, secure C*Cure Server at the NWRDC (Northwest Regional Data Center) for 12 months.  ITS and FSU Libraries also store data in secured cloud files only accessible to FSU IT and FSU Library employees authorized to view it.