Credit card transactions through the shopping cart feature of the marketplace.reading.org website are secure; this includes all book and merchandise purchases, membership/subscription purchases, membership/subscription renewals, meeting registrations, and donations. Customer-entered credit card numbers are encrypted before transmission to a credit card authorization service; if the dollar amount of the purchase is authorized, the order is processed through our e-commerce software and automatically entered into our member/customer database for processing and fulfillment. To further protect against fraudulent credit card use, we request provision of your card’s security code at checkout. Credit card numbers submitted online are not included in any e-mails related to customer purchases.
Marketplace.reading.org is secured using a thawte Digital Certificate. This ensures that all information sent to us via the World Wide Web will be encrypted. When shopping online at Marketplace, please click on the thawte Trusted Site Seal, which demonstrates our commitment to your security.
In addition, marketplace.reading.org and reading.org are tested and certified daily to pass the HACKER SAFE Security Scan. To help address concerns about hacker access to confidential data, this “live” HACKER SAFE mark appears only when a web site meets the HACKER SAFE standard.
Despite the high level of security available at this site, some users may still be uncomfortable about online financial transactions. For these users, we provide downloadable, printable forms for mailing or faxing. Further, users may call 1-800-336-7323 (U.S. and Canada) or +302-731-1600 (elsewhere) to order our products by phone, using a credit card.
The International Reading Association is committed to protecting the privacy of its members and the visitors to its website. Several areas of IRA websites do track information or include fill-in forms that request personal data from users. Below is a summary of the way this information is used.
Log-ins and cookies
The www.reading.org site uses “persistent” cookies to manage access to online journal subscriptions. Once a visitor has logged into the Publications area to view subscriber-only journal or book content, a browser cookie is set to manage access to all material the visitor is entitled to view. To ensure that the visitor can travel back and forth from our site to other linked sites, the cookie remains for 24 to 48 hours. During this period, the subscriber need log in only once.
At the Marketplace, a cookie is set on log-in for the duration of a single user session. This allows membership status and address information to be retrieved from our database, and manages the shopping transaction through to completion. Our online system does not store credit card or financial data in any way.
Our site does track usage, primarily to help us determine which areas and features are most popular among visitors; this helps us to tailor our content to best serve our audience. We do not attempt to link personal profiles to this usage data—that is, although we obtain general information about such things as geographic locations of our users, we do not monitor activity of individual users.
Note, however, that site visitors who purchase single articles or book chapters on a “pay-per-view” basis are entered into our system in the same manner as book purchasers. That is, a record of the purchase—including the purchaser’s contact information and a description of the content purchased—is recorded. This information may be used to contact purchasers regarding additional IRA products and services of potential interest. If you prefer not to receive such marketing information, please contact customer service to let us know your preferences.
Membership forms (student and regular individual, new and renewal)
The information provided through these forms is used to set up and service memberships in the Association and associated subscriptions. In addition to the newspaper, journals, and books requested by members in completing the membership form, members can expect to receive information about our annual convention and other activities and services at the postal mailing or e-mail address they provide. Telephone numbers are used only to contact members should further information be necessary to complete their membership transaction. Should you wish to have your name excluded from any postal or e-mailings related to IRA products and services, please contact customer service.
On occasion, the Association rents its mailing lists to third parties in the education sector, who use these lists to inform our members of educational products and services that may be of interest to them. Only postal addresses are rented; e-mail addresses and telephone numbers are never provided to these third parties. The Association carefully reviews all requests for mailing list rentals from these third parties, to ensure that the products being promoted are relevant to reading professionals. Members can at any time request that their names be removed from mailing list rentals, simply by contacting customer service. Such requests should include the requestor’s name, membership number, and complete postal address.
Meeting registration
Information requested on meeting registration forms is used for the purposes of processing that registration, by IRA directly or by service providers contracted by IRA for the explicit purpose of facilitating meeting registration.
On occasion, the Association rents its meeting registration lists to third parties in the education sector, who use these lists to inform conference attendees of special meeting functions, social events associated with the meeting, or other offers and invitations. Only postal addresses are rented; e-mail addresses and telephone numbers are never shared. The Association carefully reviews all requests for mailing list rentals from these third parties, to ensure that the products and events being promoted are relevant to reading professionals. Members can request that their names be removed from list rentals by contacting customer service. Such requests should include the requestor’s name, membership number, and complete postal address.
Book purchases
Information requested from those purchasing books, videos, and brochures at the Marketplace is used for the purposes of processing those purchases. In addition, this information may be used on future occasions to contact purchasers regarding additional IRA products and services of potential interest. If you prefer not to receive such marketing information, please contact customer service to let us know your preferences.
Names of purchasers of IRA book products are not rented to any third party.
Fill-in forms
Our website offers many online forms for those who wish to communicate with the Association for various purposes: to submit a manuscript review, to nominate a committee or board member, to provide an opinion on a new service, and so on. Completion of these forms, in their entirety or only portions of them, is entirely optional. Information regarding the way the collected data will be used is included with each form.
Listservs
To participate in our online discussion listservs or e-mail newsletters, users must register. Registration is for the purposes of these services only—no personal data from listserv subscribers is used for any purpose other than that for which it is given.
These statements describe the privacy policy and security features of the IRA websites in the reading.org domain as of September 2007. These policies and features may change at any time, and it is the user’s responsibility to check this page periodically to become informed about revisions.
For more information about these policies, contact the Publications Division of IRA headquarters.
