Privacy policy
Last updated 4 August 2026
The M. David Merrill Library is built and maintained by T M Stafford LLC and its research arm, RUI Press, who are the data controller for this site. This page explains, in plain terms, what personal information the site handles. It describes the site as it is built today; it is not a certification or an independent audit.
What we collect
- Account details. If you sign in, we store the email address associated with your account and, where you use Google or Apple sign-in, the basic profile information those providers return (name, email, avatar).
- Contributions. Catalogue records you submit, the files you upload, and the metadata attached to them, together with your account identifier so curators know who submitted what.
- Lists and notes. Named lists you create and any private notes you add to records in them.
- Coach conversations. Messages you send to the Merrill Coach and the replies it generates, saved to your account so you can return to a thread.
- Technical data. Standard server and security logs generated when your browser requests pages, which may include IP address, timestamp and user agent.
Why we use it
To authenticate you, to store the work you create on the site (submissions, lists, conversations), to let curators review contributions before publication, to generate search indexes for the catalogue, and to keep the service secure and working. We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for advertising.
Service providers
The site runs on the Lovable platform, which provides hosting, the database, file storage and authentication used here. Coach replies and AI-assisted metadata extraction are produced by third-party model providers reached through Lovable's AI gateway; the text of your prompt and relevant catalogue excerpts are sent to those providers to generate a response. If you sign in with Google or Apple, that provider handles the sign-in step under its own privacy policy.
What is public
Catalogue records that curators approve are published and readable by anyone, including through the public read-only API. Your lists, notes, coach conversations and unapproved submissions are private to your account and to curators where review requires it.
Retention and deletion
Account data, lists and conversations are kept while your account is active. You can delete individual lists and conversation threads at any time from within the site. Ask us to delete your account and we will remove your account data and private content; catalogue records already published may be retained as part of the scholarly archive, with your name removed from the submission record on request.
Your choices
You can request a copy of the personal data associated with your account, ask for corrections, or ask for deletion. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local data protection law. Contact us and we will respond.
Children
The library is intended for practitioners, researchers and students. Accounts are not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their information.
Changes
We may update this policy as the site changes. Material updates are noted in the changelog and reflected in the date above.
Contact
Questions, requests or takedown notices: contact@themerrilllibrary.org.