Website Terms & Conditions of Use

Contents

Using Content from HCPL.NET

Privacy 

If Your Material Should Not Be on this Website

Content Contributed by Patrons

Trademarks

Third-Party Websites

Disclaimers

Applicable Law

Indemnity

Notices

Severability

Using Content from HCPL.NET


HCPL owns, solely and exclusively, all rights, title and interest in and to the HCPL Website, all the content (including, for example, audio, photographs, illustrations, graphics, other visuals, video, copy, software, etc.), code, data and materials thereon, the look and feel, design and organization of the HCPL Website, and the compilation of the content, code, data and materials on such website, including but not limited to any copyrights, trademark rights, patent rights, database rights, moral rights, sui generis rights and other intellectual property and proprietary rights therein. Your use of the HCPL Website does not grant to you ownership of any content, code, data or materials you may access on the website.  

Use of Content From HCPL website

The Library encourages its patrons to use materials from the HCPL website, provided that you follow these guidelines:

1. Materials downloaded from the HCPL website may only be used for personal, educational, or research purposes. They may not be used for commercial purposes.

2. You are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions. The HCPL website contains a wide range of content. It contains materials that are in the public domain as well as materials that are protected by copyright. In cases where materials on the HCPL website are protected by third party rights, you are responsible for clearing the necessary rights in order to use the materials in question. For example, if you want to download a photo that is still protected by copyright for use in a research paper, you must determine whether your proposed use requires consent from the copyright holder, and, if so, you must secure the permission of the copyright holder. In some cases, you may also need to secure the consent of people who appear in photographs in our collections.

Because the Library’s collection is so large, we are not in a position to provide advice to patrons about which materials are protected by third party rights and which materials may be used freely. The following websites have information about copyright, fair use and other related topics which may be useful:

http://www.copyright.gov/
http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/bin/page?forward=home

It is your obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials from the library's collections. You are solely responsible for determining whether the use of any digital object requires the permission of any other person or entity, and you are responsible for paying any associated fees. If you have questions about the legal issues surrounding the use of digital objects you should contact your attorney.

  3. Credit HCPL When You Use Materials From Our Website and social media. If you use material from our website online, we ask that you credit the Library by linking directly to the permalink provided or, if no permalink is provided, via the URL on which the material is found. If you use material from our website offline, we ask that you credit the Library as follows: “Courtesy of Harris County Public Library. www.hcpl.net”

Privacy Policy

Information provided by patrons to the Library is governed by the Library’s privacy policy. By using HCPL’s website and services, you signify your acceptance of this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policy at your convenience.

Privacy Policy

If Your Materials Should Not be on this Site

It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in an appropriate manner under such Act and other applicable intellectual property laws, including the removal or disabling or access to material claimed to be subject of infringing activity. Pursuant to 17 United States Code 512(c)(2) (Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998), Harris County Public Library is the designated agent for notice of alleged copyright infringement appearing on the HCPL Website. Direct any notices of infringement to: Harris County Public Library, Administrative Offices 5749 South Loop East Houston TX 77033 or WebServices@hcpl.net.  To file a notice of infringement with us, you must fulfill the requirements specified in Title II of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. The text of this statute can be found on the U.S. Copyright Office Web Site.

Content Contributed by Patrons

HCPL encourages patrons to become involved in interactive portions of our website, by participating in online discussions and, in some cases, uploading content. Before you participate in these activities, however, we ask that you keep the following in mind:

1. Patrons who provide content to HCPL for its website are granting HCPL a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable license to use such material. In most cases. HCPL will only use this material on its website, but HCPL reserves the right to also use this material in other ways, such as in promotional materials created about the Library and on third-party websites on which the Library promotes its services, collections and/or activities including social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest. In each instance, you agree that HCPL may use your content for these purposes without making any payments to you. If you are not willing to grant HCPL these rights, please do not contribute content to our site.

2. Please make sure that any content you contribute does not infringe on the rights of any third party. For example, if you upload a drawing or a photo, please make sure that you are the creator of the artwork/photo. Do not contribute content to which you don’t own the rights.

3. Please also remember to exercise good judgment when contributing written material or other content. In HCPL blogs, for example, the Library prohibits comments that are offensive or objectionable to others, that use inappropriate language, or that are off-topic. In most instances, we will not have the resources to review patron comments/content, but we do reserve the right to edit or delete user comments/content in a manner consistent with our mission and policies. We also ask that you do not insert your own or a third party's advertising, branding or other promotional content into any of your comments/content.

4. HCPL is not responsible for any of the patron-generated comments/content that appear on our websites.

Trademarks


The trademarks, logos, service marks and trade names (collectively the "Trademarks") displayed on the HCPL website or on content available through the HCPL website are registered and unregistered Trademarks of HCPL and others and may not be used unless authorized by the trademark owner. Nothing contained on the HCPL Website should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark without our written permission or that of the third party rights holder. Your misuse of any Trademark is strictly prohibited.

Third-Party Websites


Among the many services offered by the Library is access to databases provided by third parties. These databases are subject to their own terms and conditions. Please review the terms and conditions specific to each database you intend to use and make sure that you comply with the applicable rules. (Some of the Library’s other resources, such as language tutoring products, may also be subject to their own terms and conditions; in each instance, we ask that you review the terms and conditions before using the product in question so that you can comply with them.)
Some pages on the HCPL website include links to other websites. The Library has not reviewed all of these websites and is not responsible for the content of these websites. The Library provides these links as a convenience only, and a link does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the linked site by the Library.

Disclaimer

1. All materials on the HCPL website are provided ">3. The Library offers access to a broad range of information and materials, including certain materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. You should view such materials in the historical context in which they were created. All historical media are presented as specific, original artifacts, without further enhancement to their appearance or quality, as a record of the era in which they were produced. Opinions expressed on the HCPL website are not necessarily those of the Library or staff.

Applicable Law


Any legal action brought against the Library shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas without regard to its conflicts-of-law rules. Any claim asserted against the Library shall be heard and determined in the federal or state courts located in Harris County, Texas USA. Users of the HCPL website agree not to commence any litigation relating to the use of the HCPL website, except in courts located in Harris County, Texas USA. Users also waive any objections to the venue of any such litigation in courts located in Harris County, Texas USA, and agree not to plead or claim that Harris County, Texas USA is an inconvenient forum.

Indemnity


You agree to defend, indemnify and hold HCPL and its officers, employees, and agents harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising in any way from or relating to your use of the HCPL website, your placement or transmission of any message, content, information, software or other materials through the HCPL website, or your breach or violation of the law, or of these Terms and Conditions. HCPL reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and in such case, you agree to cooperate with HCPL’s defense of such claim.

Notices


By using the HCPL website, you agree to receive electronic communications from HCPL, whether addressed to the e-mail address associated with your Library account or posted on the HCPL website. You acknowledge and agree that any communication via e-mail or by postings on the HCPL website satisfies any legal requirement that such communications be made in writing.

Severability


The provisions of these Terms and Conditions are intended to be severable. If for any reason any provision of these Terms and Conditions are held invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part in any applicable jurisdiction, such provision shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without in any manner affecting the validity or enforceability thereof in any other jurisdiction or the remaining provisions hereof in any jurisdiction. The failure of HCPL to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms and Conditions shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision.

Adapted from New York Public Library Website Terms & Conditions

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