Terms of Use

Introduction: The George A. Smathers Libraries support the teaching, research and learning mission of the University of Florida by providing access to the broadest possible range of ideas, opinions, and knowledge. To that end, the Smathers Libraries subscribes to and makes available various electronic information resources of local, national, and international origin and interest. These resources include periodicals, online catalogs, full text databases and the Internet. These resources are available for individual educational and research purposes only.

Users of resources available at or through the Smathers Libraries are bound by but not limited to:

  • Federal, state and local laws apply as do all University Rules of Conduct. Use for illegal or commercial purposes is prohibited.
  • University Rules regarding sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment.
  • Contractual or license terms may individually pertain to subscription resources.

For more information on the use of University of Florida computer resources, please review the University of Florida Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources.

Privacy: The Smathers Libraries values each individual’s privacy concerning use of library resources and actively seeks to preserve those privacy rights. Although the Libraries make every effort to protect the privacy of user circulation records and computer use, they may be obligated to release such information to law enforcement agents in response to a search warrant, subpoena, or other lawful directive issued in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 50 U.S.C. 1801, et seq., as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act (Public Law 107-56). For more information on the Libraries’ policy on privacy and confidentiality, please review our Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer on Using the Internet: Access to the Internet is one of the resources available through the Smathers Libraries. The Internet is a global electronic network with a highly diverse user population. The Smathers Libraries faculty and staff do not monitor and have no control over the information accessed through the Internet and cannot be held responsible for its content. Comments on the contents of any home page should be directed to the web site’s authors. Further, Internet users should bear in mind:

  • There are materials and other information resources that users may find controversial, inappropriate or offensive.
  • Not all sources on the Internet provide accurate, complete or current information. Users need to be good information consumers, questioning the validity of the information found.
  • The Libraries is not responsible for damages, indirect or direct, arising from a library patron’s use of Internet information resources.

Copyright and the Internet: Many of the resources found on the Internet are protected by copyright. You may use all or part of a copyrighted work only if you have the copyright owner’s permission or your use falls under a legal exemption. Check the documents you are viewing for appropriate statements indicating copyright ownership and what the person or entity holding those rights is asserting. The contents of the Smathers Libraries web site are the property of the University of Florida and may not be included in any publications (printed or online) without the written permission of the Libraries. You may retrieve and save these materials for educational purposes. For more information on Copyright, please review our copyright policy.

Use of Licensed Electronic Resources: Databases and other electronic resources provided by purchase or lease through the Smathers Libraries are governed by the terms and conditions of the license agreement between the University of Florida and the resource producer (which may be a private commercial company, professional association, or government agency). Each user is responsible for complying with the terms and conditions of these licenses. Failure to do so can result in the loss of access to a resource for the entire University community.

Licenses generally prohibit the following:

  • Allowing anyone other than authorized users to access the licensed resources.
  • Downloading entire issues of online journals or major portions of electronic books.
  • Downloading text to create a corpus of text for analysis.
  • Using software or other automated tools to systematically download licensed content.
  • Using licensed resources for commercial purposes.

Many resources have more detailed terms and conditions of use; please see individual product sites for more information.