24/7 Reference Policy

24/7 Reference is available to CSUF students, faculty and staff to answer brief questions and/or provide explanations of database use and library services.

Privacy and Security: The information we collect during Ask a Librarian transactions is kept confidential. Your question will probably be answered by a non-CSUF librarian, but librarians follow the American Library Association Code of Ethics, specifically: “We protect each user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.” The Chat Reference service collects limited personal information (name, e-mail, IP) for several reasons. Since this is a CSU initiative, we need to know which campus you are connected to; we ask for your e-mail to send your transcript and for any follow-up information on your question. All personal information (name, phone, e-mail address, IP) is deleted after 30 days. We retain your questions for training, assessment and research purposes. Ask a Librarian chat reference sessions are not encrypted. The software and servers we use for the Ask a Librarian chat service are provided by a third party, 24/7 Reference. 24/7 Reference staff may have access to the information you provide.

Please check the 24/7 Reference Privacy Statement for further information.