About the Service The Penn State Virtual Reference Service uses QuestionPoint software to provide online research assistance to Penn State students, faculty, and staff. Use of the vast electronic and print resources of the Penn State Libraries will be emphasized, and authoritative sites on the World Wide Web will be recommended when appropriate. Virtual Reference Service is open to non-Penn State researchers on a limited basis. Only authorized users will be given access to licensed databases. Hours During Fall 2008 and Spring 2009, service hours are: Monday - Thursday, 9am - 12:00am; Sundays, 6:00pm - 9:00pm.   E-mail reference service is available when the Virtual Reference Service is closed.   Staffing The Virtual Reference Service is staffed by Penn State librarians at campuses throughout the Penn State system. The librarian answering your question may or may not be at your campus. If your question requires information that is only available locally, you will be referred to your campus library staff. Rules All users must comply with the University Policy on Computer and Network Use and Security (AD20) Virtual Reference Chat Netiquette: Be patient. Network traffic may degrade response time. A Virtual Reference librarian will respond to your question as soon as possible. If you can't wait, you may submit your question by email. Communicate in short sentences. If you need to communicate at length, break your message into chunks. Do not type in all capital letters. All caps is equivalent to SHOUTING. Harassment and misconduct of any type will not be tolerated. Common courtesies are expected and appreciated. Privacy The Penn State Virtual Reference Service records all reference transactions, including the chat conversation and the URLs for all the web sites visited. At the end of your session, a transcript will be e-mailed to you and a copy will be stored in our database. Transcripts maintained by the University Libraries for service assessment are stored without personal identifying information. The Penn State University Libraries and the Virtual Reference Service software provider keep all Virtual Reference Service transcripts confidential and handle them with the same care and confidentiality as other library patron records, as required by law or American Library Association ethical standards. Enjoy the service! We hope you will find the Virtual Reference Service helpful and timely. When you log off Virtual Reference, you will be asked to complete a survey. Let us know how you like the service.

Return to the Virtual Reference Service

---

last updated: 7/2008
© Penn State University Libraries