Dear Library Directors,

Please be aware of the following information regarding the NJ Address Confidentiality Program (ACP).

This information should be considered when drafting policies for determining residency in library card applications and training staff members who handle documents for residency verification purposes.  

The ACP, which began in 1998 and was expanded in 2019, is designed to assist individuals who, as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking have had to relocate for their safety.  This program was also extended to health care patients, providers, volunteers and contractors who have experienced threats of harm and ongoing fear for their physical safety. This program limits the ability for the public to access their home, work, or school address by providing them with a legal substitute address.  All public agencies are required by this law to acknowledge a participant’s enrollment and accept the substitute address.  

ACP participants are provided with a laminated Address Confidentiality Authorization Card, which includes their name, date of enrollment, and the substitute address – a P.O. Box.  This card acts as proof of their participation in ACP and includes an expiration date.  Please see the additional guidelines below for further instruction on the appearance and content of the authorization card.

To verify residency, ACP participants may show proof of address, including a copy of a lease, a bill, or other documentation.  However, the program participant may request the public agency to use the substitute address in place of his or her residence, work and/or school address when it creates a new record or updates an existing record.  The substitute address should then be used on all paper and electronic records, files, forms and documents. 

Additional information regarding the ACP, including language for drafting internal policy, can be found on the New Jersey State Library website (https://www.njstatelib.org/services_for_libraries/consulting_services/library_directors/):

• NJ Address Confidentiality Program – Brochure (https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NJ_ACP_Brochure.pdf)
• NJ Address Confidentiality Program – Spanish Brochure (https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Spanish_ACP_brochure.pdf)
• NJ Address Confidentiality Program – How Does ACP Work (https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/How_Does_ACP_Works.pdf)
• NJ Address Confidentiality Program – At a Glance (https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ACP_At_a_Glance-.pdf)
• NJ Address Confidentiality Program – Draft Template (https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DraftPolicyACP-1.pdf)

Questions about the New Jersey Address Confidentiality Program can be directed to Program Manager at the Division on Women at 1-877-218-9133.

 

Best,

Andrea Simzak Levandowski (she/her/hers)
Library Consultant for Small Business Development & Technology
New Jersey State Library
P.O. Box 520
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 278-2640 x190
alevandowski@PROTECTED