Data Access Policy

Last Updated: 24 September 2012

Notice Regarding the Use of Membership Data by the AAS

The AAS maintains records of members Names, Membership Class, Addresses, Institutional Affiliations, Telephone and Fax numbers, and Email addresses for publication in the AAS Directory, which is issued in both printed and on-line versions. From time to time the AAS permits its Corporate Members and other vendors to use Names and Mailing addresses only for the purpose of distributing advertising materials on scholarly publications and other items that are judged to be of professional interest to a significant fraction of the members. Email addresses are never distributed for such purposes.

In addition the AAS maintains records of general demographic information such as gender, birth date, academic degree and date thereof, and, at the member's option, categorization by ethnicity (US classification). These data are never available outside the AAS membership records, and are used only for statistical characterization of the AAS membership and, in the case of birth date, to establish qualification for Junior Membership status.

AAS membership records also contain a history of member's participation in AAS activities, including, but not limited to, date joined, attendance at meetings, and service on AAS committees.

AAS members who wish to further protect the privacy of their name and addresses may chose not to have this information listed in either or both of the on-line or print versions of the Membership Directory. Members may also, separately, elect not to have their name and address furnished to vendors as described above. To exercise either of these options a member need only contact the membership department of the AAS by email, letter, fax, or telephone.

Any AAS member who wishes to review the accuracy of their personal data as contained in the AAS membership system may do so by contacting, in writing, the membership department of the AAS. Any corrections resulting from this review will be made promptly at the direction of the member.

The AAS membership system database access is restricted to AAS staff members with a need to access this information, and this access is enforced through software access control.