The Reference Dept. will try to answer as many questions as possible from the resources we have here. However, we cannot do in-depth research or interpret professional materials. We will try to refer you to an appropriate source for some subjects, such as medical, legal, taxation or marketing research.

Requests for data searches and periodical reprints may involve fees. Please check with the reference librarians for details.

When faxing a question to us, please be both concise and detailed.

Give us a realistic deadline. Do not use ASAP. We process orders in the order in which they are
received. If we do not think we can meet your deadline, we will notify you promptly.

Often, we need additional information from you to compete a request. Make sure to tell us how we can reach you (extension number, etc.).

Please use the form provided. We will be glad to provide a replacement if your copy is lost. Please make copies for other departments in your organization.

If you would like to have information faxed to you, please read and sign the warning concerning copyright restrictions on the front of the form.

Restrictions on the Facts by Fax Service

Our reference services are intended to meet the sporadic, spontaneous needs of a large cross-section of the public. They are not intended to replace private information, research, or clerical services. Our faxing service is designed specifically for brief, factual reference answers that may be copied in five pages or less.

Our reference services are designed to comply with the spirit and the letter of copyright law. We cannot fax any information from a copyrighted source without the signed form indicating understanding of copyright restrictions. We will fax up to five pages per request from a single source, but that number may be reduced if, in the judgment of the staff, it constitutes a
proportion of the work that exceeds fair use guidelines. If a single user or corporate entity makes
repeated information requests which can only be satisfied by one specific title, the user may be establishing a systematic pattern of use that is inconsistent with copyright law. If more than ten such requests are received within a calendar year for information from a single source (or if the total number of such pages requested exceeds thirty), the Library staff will not fax the material, but recommend that the research be pursued in person.

In the Facts by Fax program, the Library is prepared to absorb the cost and labor of a small amount of photocopying, only because it is currently a physical requirement of fax transmission. We extend this courtesy in recognition of the convenience to our patrons of faxing information to them. Beyond this context, however, the library does not provide free photocopies. Patrons who come to the library must make their own copies. Copies made for the purpose of faxing are destroyed in accordance with copyright restrictions.