Experienced reference staff will respond to your question. We take our duty of patron confidentiality very seriously and will make every effort to respect your privacy and ensure your confidentiality.

We ask for a name so we will know how to address you. You may enter any name you like.

We ask for your email address in order to send you a transcript of your chat session or a response to your email question. For chat, entering an email address is entirely optional, but you will not receive a transcript if you do not give us a valid email address. This transcript will contain links to the web sites suggested during your session and the complete text of your interaction. No email addresses will be sold or given to any other entities.

We collect information about your computer: we note what browser version you are using and what your IP address is.

We store your transcripts and your personal information for a limited time so that we can provide you with better service. After a brief time, we purge all personally identifiable information (i.e., the name and email address you provided, browser and IP data) from the system. The text of your interaction may be stored longer. However, please be aware that if you provide personal information in the text of your chat – for example, another email address or a telephone number for follow-up purposes – that information will remain in the transcript.

Only staff members who work with the Ask-A-Librarian service have access to your transcript. No one else can access your transcript, including other library or university staff not directly involved in providing service through Ask-A-Librarian.

We may forward your transcript to another librarian who may be better able to help you.