This notice provides details of what information we collect from you, what we do with it and who it might be shared with when you are in contact with our museum collections and archives team.
Identity and contact details of the controller and the data protection officer
Falkirk Council is the data controller. You can contact the data protection officer at:
Frequently asked questions
Why do we collect this information?
The information is being collected for the following purpose/s:
- To deal with your Museum Collections or Archives request.
- To allow us to manage access, copyright issues and adhere to our Acquisitions Policy.
- To keep records of donations, transfers and loans of the museum collections and items in the care of the Council.
The legal basis for each purpose is set out below:
| Legal basis |
Purpose |
| Consent |
|
| Performance of a contract |
2, 3 |
| Legal obligation |
|
| Vital interests |
|
| Task carried out in the public interest |
1, 2, 3 |
| Legitimate interests |
|
What information do we collect about you?
We collect your name, contact details (which may be a postal address, email address, and/or phone number). We also keep copies of your communications with us and our responses.
We also collect data and information relating to artefacts in the museum collection and archives, incoming and outgoing, donors and users. This may include biographical and contact details of the creators, previous owners, finders and copyright holders of archive documents, photos, artefacts, items and users; as well as those referenced in items (for example those named on the back of a photograph will be recorded in a list of people who appear in the archives).
Where do we collect information from?
We collect information from you or a third party acting on your behalf, for example, a carer, a parent or guardian if you are under 16 years of age, a solicitor, a councillor, another family member.
Who might we share your information with?
We may share information with IT System administrators and suppliers for the purposes of upgrading and maintaining systems.
We may also share your information if we are required to do so by law or with the Scottish Information Commissioner (freedom of information), the Information Commissioner (data protection), the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (complaints) and the Health & Safety Executive (accidents).
The Council has a duty to protect public funds. We may check your information within the Council for verification purposes and/or for the prevention of fraud. We may share your information with other organisations where we are required to do so for the purposes of the prevention or detection of crime.
In rare cases we may share your details with another museum or archive should we need to decide to transfer items to their collections in the future. If this were to happen all reasonable efforts would be made to contact you.
Will we send your information outwith the UK?
Almost all information is kept in the UK. Our collection management software provider is based in New Zealand. Only minimal information is available about individuals associated with items in our collections.
How long do we keep hold of your information?
We keep your enquiry and access information for 2 years from the end of the financial year in which you make your enquiry.
We keep donor, depositor and loan information permanently and update it as necessary.
We keep your copy requests and photograph release information for 5 years from the end of the financial year in which you make your copy request.
What are my rights in relation to the information held about me?
You have the following rights:
- To see any information held about you by making a subject access request.
- To withdraw consent at any time, where the legal basis for processing is consent.
- To data portability, where the legal basis for processing is (i) consent or (ii) performance of a contract.
- To request rectification or erasure of your information, where data protection legislation allows this.
Do I have a right to complain about the way information has been used?
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, please let us know and we will try to resolve this. If you are still concerned, you can contact the Information Commissioner:
Do I have to provide my personal data to you?
If you want to use our Museum and Archive services we need to know the information set out above. Information regarding items allows us to develop the knowledge and understanding around the items in our care, in turn helping us provide more support for users. For researchers this will aid the efficiency of your time spent using the collection.
Do you use any automated processes to make decisions about me?
We do not use an automated decision making processes.
This notice was last updated in March 2022.