Privacy and Cookies Policy

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a simple text file that is stored on your computer or mobile device by a website's server and only that server will be able to retrieve or read the contents of that cookie. It allows a website to remember things like your preferences or what is in your shopping basket.

Durham University does not use cookies to collect personal information about you.

Durham University Website use of cookies

Some links on Durham Open Access Repositories may open pages on the University website. The privacy policy for these pages is available online here.

Use of cookies by different services

We use strictly necessary cookies such as session and functional cookies. We also use performance-related cookies which help us monitor user behaviour in general, allowing us to improve our service according to user needs. All these cookies collect anonymous information on the page visited which cannot be tracked to individual users. The following tables describe in detail what cookies we use:

Service name	Service address	Type of cookies used
Durham Research Online	http://dro.dur.ac.uk	Analytic cookies, Google Custom Search, Google Webmaster Tools
Durham E-Theses	http://etheses.dur.ac.uk	Analytic cookies, Google Webmaster Tools, Session cookies
XTF	http://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/search	Session cookie, Analytic cookies
Mirador	Accessed from Special Collections: a variety of digitised content under the address http://iiif.durham.ac.uk/index.html	Analytic cookie
Library catalogue	http://library.dur.ac.uk	Library catalogue, Analytic cookies
Single Sign On	https://shib.dur.ac.uk/idp/Authn/UserPassword	Session cookie, Shibboleth
e-resources access via Library Catalogue	https://login.ezphost.dur.ac.uk/login	Session cookie, EZProxy

Detailed cookie information:

Cookies type	Name	What data stored	When expired	Description
Session cookies	JSESSIONID, eprints_session	A random hex number or alpha-numeric string	end of session	Session cookies allow user 'choices' to be remembered from page to page.
Library Catalogue	SESSION_SCOPE, III_SESSION_ID, III_EXPT_FILE	A random hex number	end of session	Access patron record or search catalogue
Shibboleth	_idp_authn_lc_key, _idp_session	A random hex number	end of session	This cookie is stored to allow Shibboleth authentication to some e-resources and other web applications via UK federation authentication.
EZProxy	ezproxy	A random hex number	end of session	Allow access to e-resources off-campus via proxy server.
Analytic cookies	__utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmv, __utmz	See Google Analytic GA cookies for more details	various: from end of session up to 2 years	Performance cookies. See Google Analytic GA cookies
Google Webmaster Tools	various	A random alpha numeric string	various	Performance cookies. See Google Privacy Policy which covers use of Google Webmaster Tools