The Tarlton Law Library respects individual patrons' privacy rights in accordance with policy promulgated by the University of Texas at Austin. Likewise, the Law Library adheres to the confidentiality policy agreed upon by the University's general libraries.
The Tarlton Law Library reference staff can answer brief, ready-reference questions but cannot do extensive research or provide legal advice during chat sessions.
Questions are answered in the order in which they are received. During peak times, users may have to wait in a patron queue. Chat sessions typically take 15 minutes or less. If a question requires more time, the librarian may research the question independently and send a response to the user's email address.
Questions may be submitted anonymously as users are not required to include a name in the question or in the chat request form.
The Library will make every attempt to respect and preserve the users' privacy. Only Library staff members have access to questions submitted to this service. Chat logs are generally not saved; however, some questions may be added to a database of frequently asked questions accessible to librarians for training and evaluation purposes. Any identifying information, such as names and email addresses, will not be retained.
Questions or comments about our chat reference service can be sent to: Melissa Bernstein ( ).