Authorities say a hacker accessed a computer server for North Carolina community colleges containing the personal information of nearly 51,000 people.

The Asheville Citizen-Times of Asheville reports the state Community College System will mail letters next week telling students that someone hacked a database that included Social Security and drivers license numbers.

System senior vice president Saundra Williams said officials don't believe the hacker gained access to those numbers, which were used to identify library users. She said it appears the security breach was limited. But state law requires the schools system to send a warning.

The security breach of the system's library server in Raleigh occurred Aug. 23 and was discovered the next morning.