Chat Guidelines

NEWMAN LIBRARY
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Online Chat Guidelines
This service is open only to members of the Baruch community (current Baruch students, faculty, staff, as well as members of the Friends of the Newman Library and the CUNY Online BA community).
Warning!

You will get disconnected if you perform any of the following operations during your session:

Use the Forward or Back buttons Use the Refresh or Reload buttons Print
Bookmark Open a second browser using Ctrl-N or File>New  

Browser Requirements

Works with all versions of Netscape except 6.0 and all versions of Internet Explorer if you have "session cookies" enabled in your browser.

People using the AOL browser or using a Macintosh sometimes encounter difficulties using this service

If this is your first visit to the chat reference, you may be asked to accept a Meadco Security Certificate. You must accept this in order for our site to work for you. You will then be taken directly to our site.

Getting the Most from Your Online Chat:

Type brief messages.

If you have a lot to say, send a series of short messages one after the other but end each one with an ellipsis (...), like this:

I would like help finding info on how stock prices on... (click "Send" button)

the New York Stock Exchange relate to bond rates... (click "Send" button)

from 1970-2000. I have already looked in the catalog for... (click "Send" button)

books but I can't seem to find anything. What would you suggest? (click "Send" button)

When you type an ellipsis in a message, it's a signal to the librarian that you intend to send another message immediately.

After sending message, wait for a reply so your messages don't get out of synch with those of the librarian.

Be specific in describing the information you need.

Return to chat online as often as you need, even if it's only a few minutes since your last chat.

About Chat Reference

Available as noted on the hours page.

If service not open, send your question by e-mail.

This service is best for:
      advice about how to begin researching a topic
      suggestions about databases to use
      tips about how to search databases, the library catalog, or the web
      assistance with evaluating the usefulness of a resource (book, article, web site, etc.) for your assignment
      help checking whether the library has a copy of a book, magazine, journal, etc., that you need
      explanation of library services and policies

If you need a lot of instruction in how to use a database, consider coming in to the library's reference desk or attending library workshops.

This service is not intended for providing answers to "factual" questions (e.g., "What is the G.D.P. of China?"). We may instead suggest the resource(s) to help you answer your question.

Use of this service constitutes consent for the library to use the transcript of the interaction for research purposes provided that identifying information about the user is deleted.

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