Reference staff will be scheduled to monitor the chat service at the hours listed above.  Hours may vary during intersession and holidays.

• This service is brand new, in its beta testing, so we cannot completely guarantee the program will be error free or that the staff will be available to answer questions at all times listed.
• CUA Law Library Staff will give priority to answering questions from on-site patrons.  Questions received by telephone or chat will be answered in the order in which they are received.  Therefore, the chat service may not be immediately available at all the times listed above.

The chat service is an ideal option for the user to ask a quick question about a particular fact or database.

• The Law Library Staff will not provide medical, legal, financial, etc. advice.
• The Law Library Staff will not do your research for you. We can help you with your research by giving you the necessary tools/knowledge to complete research.
• The Law Library Staff will not send articles or information accessed through CUA subscription databases.  [This means no Lexis, Westlaw, ProQuest, etc.]
• The Law Library Staff will not renew, recall, or retrieve books/library materials for students, faculty, or staff.  

 

 

To print these policies.

 

The Law Library Staff reserves the right not to answer any question. 

This service will be open to any user, but will be restricted to only CUA Law faculty, students and staff if the volume becomes too heavy. Other users are welcome to use the chat service for questions dealing specifically with information about The Catholic University of America School of Law Library and its collections.  

The Law Library Staff reminds chat users that in-depth research questions are best answered in person or asynchronously via email. Therefore, we reserve the right to request a meeting with a patron or provide reference services via email at a later time at our discretion.

The Law Library respects the privacy of users, but cannot guarantee the confidentiality of files, electronic mail, or other information stored or transmitted electronically. We will collect data on each chat transaction for statistical purposes. In addition, each chat log will be saved in order to improve the service.  Please see our privacy policy.

The Law Library Staff will not tolerate inappropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior constitutes, but is not limited to, any action that is: illegal, threatening, harassing, obscene, objectionable, or a violation of federal, state or local law. Chats determined inappropriate will be terminated. A warning message may or may not be given to users who violate this policy. Users who fail to comply with this policy may be blocked from the chat service in the future.