BiblioCommons US Terms of Use

Last updated Sep 19, 2018

Palo Alto City Library has entered into an agreement with BiblioCommons to provide an online service that will make it easier to track your holds and renewals and find the titles you are looking for. In addition, you may also choose to use this service to share ratings and commentary about the titles you find at Palo Alto City Library, and to connect with other BiblioCommons users. When you use the pages in Palo Alto City Library's catalog that say "Powered by BiblioCommons" in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, you are using what is referred to here as the "BiblioCommons Service," and these BiblioCommons Terms of Use apply. Your use of the BiblioCommons Service is subject to the BiblioCommons Terms of Use, and indicates that you accept these Terms of Use, which includes the BiblioCommons Privacy Statement; together they are the only documents that govern your relationship with BiblioCommons. You may not use the BiblioCommons Service if you do not accept the Terms of Use; please read them carefully.

Is this the only policy governing my use of the library's services?

No. Palo Alto City Library may have additional policies that govern other aspects of the services we offer. Please check the library's homepage to view these documents, or speak to a librarian.

City of Palo Alto Website Acceptable Use Policy.

Registration

Is Registration Necessary?

It is not necessary to register with the BiblioCommons Service in order to search the Palo Alto City Library catalog. However, registration is required to use BiblioCommons for personalized services, such as managing your renewals and holds, contributing ratings and reviews, personalized recommendations, and communicating electronically with other users.

Who is Eligible to Register?

Registration for use of the BiblioCommons Service is open to all patrons of Palo Alto City Library and other libraries affiliated with BiblioCommons (Palo Alto City Library and other affiliated libraries are referred to herein as "Participating Libraries").

Can children use this service?

Children are welcome to register for the Service. However, we recommend that parents and guardians discuss internet privacy and safety with their children regularly. Please read the BiblioCommons Privacy Statement to find out more about the measures that have been put in place on the BiblioCommons Service to protect the privacy and security of children, and for information on protecting your child's privacy and safety online.

Where can I find out more about the privacy policy of the BiblioCommons Service?

The privacy of your personal information is important to BiblioCommons. We have established security measures and controls to ensure that your information is only used as you wish. We encourage you to review the BiblioCommons Privacy Statement, which forms a part of this agreement, as well as the Palo Alto City Library Privacy Policy.

Shared Content

What is Shared Content?

You may use the BiblioCommons Service to create "Shared Content," which is any information, content or opinion that you post on the Service; it includes online conversations on the Service and selections you create using Lists or My Shelves. Shared Content may be useful for your own reference and can help other users find resources and information. Shared Content may include for example collections, ratings, reviews, video, or conversations with other users.

You may make portions of your Shared Content private, or you may leave it publicly available (as "Public Content") for the benefit of yourself and other users in your library and on the World Wide Web. To learn more about the controls BiblioCommons has put in place to protect your privacy, please refer to the BiblioCommons Privacy Statement, or visit your Privacy Settings.

Who owns Shared Content?

Registered Users retain any ownership rights they have in content that they post on the BiblioCommons Service. However as described below, other users of the service, Palo Alto City Library and BiblioCommons are granted irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive licenses to use Shared Content as described below.

Can other users use my Shared Content?

The sharing of content is an important objective of the BiblioCommons Service. When you contribute Shared Content that can be viewed by others, you grant a license to other users to make use of that material under an Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike Creative Commons License. This is a license that grants others the non-commercial right to copy, distribute, display, perform the work or create derivative works on the condition that the original author is credited, and that any derivative distribution is licensed in the same way. Unless otherwise indicated, you have the right to use Shared Content contributed by others according to the same Creative Commons license.

What rights do Palo Alto City Library and BiblioCommons have to use Shared Content?

By contributing content such as reviews and comments to the BiblioCommons Service, you are granting BiblioCommons and Palo Alto City Library the right to use this content broadly. BiblioCommons may display Shared Content in the services that we sell to libraries or other third parties. Unless otherwise indicated, when you post Public Content, you grant, represent and warrant that you have the right to grant BiblioCommons and Palo Alto City Library an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt, perform, adapt, create derivative works from, and distribute such content with the name or username you have chosen to display.

If you do not want to give BiblioCommons and Palo Alto City Library these rights, please do not contribute Shared Content on the BiblioCommons Service.

What are my responsibilities when I choose to post Shared Content?

You are solely responsible for the Shared Content that you post to the BiblioCommons Service, or transmit to or share with other users. Please read carefully the section in these Terms of Use entitled "Appropriate Use" to ensure that you understand the responsibilities that you incur when you post Shared Content.

BiblioCommons respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content that you post; that use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity; and that you will indemnify us for all claims resulting from content you supply. BiblioCommons may, at our discretion, disable and/or terminate the BiblioCommons accounts of users who violate these Terms of Use.

What can I do if I see content that infringes on my intellectual property rights?

If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide BiblioCommons' copyright agent the written information specified below. Please note that this procedure is exclusively for notifying us that your copyrighted material has been infringed. BiblioCommons' copyright agent can be reached via email at copyright@bibliocommons.com, or at the mailing address below. Please provide:

An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest;
A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed upon;
A description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the site;
Your address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
A statement by you that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.

Our Address:

BiblioCommons
119 Spadina Avenue, suite 1000
Toronto, ON M5V 2L1, Canada
tel. 647 436 6381

Is Shared Content ever removed from the BiblioCommons Service for other reasons?

Some users may not wish to view all community-created content. BiblioCommons users who are logged in have the option of blocking, "ignoring" or collapsing content from specified users on an individual basis. Ignoring a user can be reversed. The BiblioCommons Service also offers the ability to collapse community-created content that other users have flagged as containing content that they consider offensive or otherwise inappropriate.

BiblioCommons will allow all Users to collapse community-created content based on their individual viewing preferences. But an individual User's viewing preferences shall not affect the viewing preferences of other Users.

All posted content is subject to the Appropriate Use standards of these Terms of Use. If you see content that violates the Appropriate Use standards, you may flag the content by using the 'Report This' tool that is adjacent to all Shared Content when you are logged in.

If content is flagged by a number of different users, three at this time, it is reviewed for compliance with the Terms of Use. If such content is found to violate the Terms of Use, it may be removed from public view and an email will be sent to the User who authored the content, notifying the User of the right to appeal the initial determination. The email will notify the User that BiblioCommons has removed the flagged content, indicate the specific Terms of Use that were violated, and state the process for appealing BiblioCommons' initial determination. A User's failure to submit a written appeal in the manner described in the email notice within thirty (30) days of the date of the notice will render the decision to remove the content final.

BiblioCommons will give Users who appeal the initial determination within 30 days as provided above an opportunity to explain why the flagged content complies with the Terms of Use. BiblioCommons will review the information provided by the User in support of the appeal and shall decide, after considering that information, whether the content complies with or violates the Terms of Use. BiblioCommons shall decide an appeal within 30 days of receiving it.

If BiblioCommons determines that the flagged content does not violate the Terms of Use, it shall restore the flagged comment. If BiblioCommons determines that the flagged content violates the Terms of Use, it shall promptly notify the User of its decision not to restore the flagged content and the reason for the decision.

The BiblioCommons Service is not intended for the storage of valuable or irreplaceable data.

Appropriate Use Standards

All visitors to the BiblioCommons Service agree not to:

access or attempt to access areas of the BiblioCommons Service in which they are not authorized;
use or attempt to use another person's account without our authorization, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent yourself, your age or your affiliation with any person or entity;
solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 18, use the BiblioCommons Service to arrange a meeting with anyone under the age of 18 or solicit passwords or personally identifying information for commercial or unlawful purposes;
disable, overburden, impair the proper performance or functionality of the BiblioCommons Service;
use or access the BiblioCommons Service or related systems in a way that adversely affects the performance or function of the service;
use any automated system to harvest or capture any BiblioCommons Content (as defined below) from the BiblioCommons Service, except as may be specifically permitted using RSS/XML feeds;
co-brand the BiblioCommons Service or portion thereof ("co-branding" means to display a name, logo, trade-mark, or other means of attribution or identification of any party in a manner reasonably likely to give a user the impression that such other party has the right to display, publish, or distribute the BiblioCommons Service or BiblioCommons Content);
"frame" the BiblioCommons Service or portion thereof so that the BiblioCommons Service or BiblioCommons Content appears in the same window with a portion of another website.

If you choose to register, you agree to:

provide and maintain accurate, current and complete information;
ensure that your account is used in keeping with all terms governing the use of the BiblioCommons Service, including these Terms of Use;
maintain the security of your password and username;
not register for more than one account.

Appropriate Use When Posting Content

Remember that the Service is used by visitors with a broad range of ages and sensibilities. You agree not to use the Service to upload, post, transmit, share, store or otherwise make available any content that:

violates the Appropriate Use Standards;
is unrelated to the specific book, movie, music or other library material that is the subject of the post or displayed page;
is unlawful, threatens or incites violence, physical intimidation or other unlawful action or otherwise creates a genuine risk of imminent harm or direct threat to safety;
consists of or depicts obscene material as defined by applicable state, provincial or national law;
constitutes unlawful multi-level marketing, such as a pyramid scheme;
constitutes unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, solicitations, promotional materials, junk mail, spam and/or chain letters for commercial or personal gain;
is private information about or belonging to any third party, including, without limitation, home addresses, home phone numbers, personal email addresses, personal identification numbers and credit card numbers, the disclosure of which would constitute an invasion of privacy or otherwise be prohibited under applicable law;
contains software viruses, worms, or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, gain illegal access, destroy or limit the functionality of any data, software, hardware, or telecommunications equipment;
infringes upon or violates the rights of any individual or entity under applicable state, provincial or national law including without limitation, intellectual property rights;
constitutes, encourages or provides instructions for a criminal offense or that would otherwise create liability or violate any local, state, national or international law.

Warning About Content

You understand that by using the BiblioCommons Service, you may encounter content that may be considered indecent or otherwise objectionable. Consequently, you agree to use the BiblioCommons Service at your sole risk and you agree that neither BiblioCommons nor any Participating Library shall have any liability to you for any such content that may be found to be indecent or otherwise objectionable.

Neither BiblioCommons nor Palo Alto City Library verify the accuracy, truthfulness or reliability of any information posted by users, endorse any opinions, or confirm the credentials of any users who may post information. You should always exercise caution and not rely or act upon any information available on the BiblioCommons Service, particularly information that relates to your legal rights, financial arrangements or health.

BiblioCommons may at any time use automated translation tools to make the BiblioCommons Service or portions of it available in languages other than English. Such tools have significant limitations and only the English version of any translated content is considered the definitive version.

The BiblioCommons Service contains functionality that will enable you to collapse community-created content that has been flagged by Users who feel the content does not conform to the Terms of Use or is otherwise inappropriate for all users. Enabling this functionality will help decrease the likelihood of encountering objectionable material when using the BiblioCommons Service.

How are feedback and suggestions managed?

BiblioCommons accepts feedback, questions, comments, ideas, concepts, or techniques for new services or products through the Service ("Suggestions"). When you submit Suggestions you agree that they will not be considered confidential, and that they may be stored with your name and email address in a database that may be located outside of your country. By submitting any Suggestions, you grant BiblioCommons an unrestricted, irrevocable, world-wide, royalty-free right to use, communicate, reproduce, publish, display, distribute and exploit such Suggestions in any manner, and you agree that we may contact you via email for clarification or additional feedback.

BIBLIOCOMMONS CONTENT

The services and content provided on BiblioCommons ("BiblioCommons Content") are comprised of 1) services and content provided by Participating Libraries, BiblioCommons and third-party providers ("Service Content"); and 2) Shared Content contributed by users. All BiblioCommons Content is protected by law, and its use is governed by the rights described below.

Can I display BiblioCommons Content on other websites?

The Service makes it possible for you to feature public BiblioCommons Content on external third party websites or applications. This is encouraged under the terms described here. Pages on any external third-party websites and applications that display BiblioCommons Content must provide a link from each extract to an original presentation of that material on a BiblioCommons webpage. We reserve the right, at any time and without notice, to object to or require the removal of any link that is misleading, or interrupts or interferes with the Service provided by BiblioCommons.

Are there any restrictions on my use of the Service Content in other environments?

BiblioCommons and Palo Alto City Library grant our authorized users a limited, personal, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service and Service Content for personal, non-commercial use. All other rights are reserved. Except as arranged by separate agreement, you may not copy, reproduce, republish, download, post, broadcast, transmit, make available to the public, or otherwise use the Service Content in any way except for your own personal, non-commercial use; nor may you disassemble, decompile, or reverse engineer the Service. The Service Content is the intellectual property of Participating Libraries, BiblioCommons, or their affiliates or their licensors, and is protected by US and international copyright law. Some elements of the Service Content are also protected by trademark law and laws related to trade dress, trade secrets, and unfair competition.

OTHER NOTICES

Overdue Notification Service

Reminder notifications are not a replacement for keeping track of your borrowing. Neither BiblioCommons nor Palo Alto City Library take responsibility for fees that result from missed reminders. You can check your account status by visiting My Borrowing.

Warning About Links to Other Sites

The BiblioCommons Service may contain links to other websites and resources that are not a part of the Service ("Linked Sites"). We provide links to Linked Sites as a convenience to the Users of the Service and such links do not imply any endorsement of the Linked Sites by us. We have no control over the content of Linked Sites. Users must be aware that the Linked Sites may also have terms of use or privacy policies that differ significantly from those of the Service. All use of Linked Sites is at your own risk.

General

You may not assign these Terms of Use or any of your interests, rights or obligations under these Terms of Use. If any provision of these Terms of Use is found to be invalid by any tribunal having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms of Use, which shall remain in full force and effect. Any waiver of any portion of these Terms of Use or of any right or remedy of BiblioCommons must be in writing in order to be effective.

Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law and to the extent that BiblioCommons or Participating Libraries are otherwise found responsible for any damages, BiblioCommons or Participating Libraries are responsible for actual damages only. To the extent permitted by law, in no event shall BiblioCommons, its affiliates, its licensors, its suppliers, participating libraries, or any third parties mentioned at the Service be liable for any incidental, indirect, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages, lost profits, or damages resulting from lost data or business interruption resulting from the use of or inability to use the Service or the Content, regardless of the theory of law upon which such claim may be based, including warranty, contract, tort, and whether or not BiblioCommons or Participating Libraries are advised of the possibility of such damages. To the extent permitted by law, the remedies stated in these Terms of Use are exclusive and are limited to those expressly provided for in these Terms of Use.

Any action or claim related to these Terms of Use or arising from your use of the Service must be brought within twelve (12) months of the existence of the alleged facts giving rise to the action or claim.

Disclaimer of Warranties

Neither BiblioCommons nor Participating Libraries make any representations with respect to the BiblioCommons Service, including any representations related to results that may be obtained by using the BiblioCommons Service. All use of the Service is at the sole risk of the user.

The BiblioCommons Service and the BiblioCommons Content are provided on an "as is" basis and BiblioCommons and Participating Libraries disclaim any and all warranties to the fullest extent permissible by law, including implied and/or statutory warranties, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, non-infringement of third parties' rights, and fitness for a particular purpose. Neither BiblioCommons nor the Participating Libraries make any representations or warranties about (and specifically disclaim any responsibility for) the accuracy, completeness, security or timeliness of the BiblioCommons Service and its content. No warranties may be made in relation to the website or its contents except as contained in these Terms of Use.

You agree and acknowledge that the limitations and exclusions of liability and warranty provided in these terms of use are fair and reasonable.

Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless BiblioCommons and the Participating Libraries (as well as their officers, directors, employees, agents, successors and assigns) from and against any third party claims, actions or demands (including, without limitation, costs, damages and reasonable legal and accounting fees) alleging or resulting from, or in connection with your use of this Service or your breach of these Terms of Use.

Your First Amendment and Other Rights

BiblioCommons has worked extensively with libraries across the United States to ensure that these Terms of Use protect your First Amendment and other rights as a library patron. These Terms of Use (including the mechanics around removing Shared Content as described above) have been created and are revisited from time to time, to ensure that they are reflective of, and otherwise protect, your First Amendment and other library patron rights. These Terms of Use should not be interpreted in any matter to lessen or remove your First Amendment rights or any other statutory rights you may have as a library patron.

Jurisdiction and Forum

Your use of the Service and these Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, excluding (a) its conflicts of law rules and (b) the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (including all related protocols). Any dispute, claim or action related to your use of the Service or under these Terms of Use shall be resolved by arbitration under the Arbitration Act (Ontario) by a single arbitrator sitting in Toronto, Ontario, in the English language, and you further agree and submit to the exercise of personal jurisdiction of such arbitrator(s) for the purpose of litigating any such claim or action.

Notwithstanding any provision of this section of the Terms of Use, BiblioCommons shall be free to seek interim or injunctive relief before any court of competent jurisdiction for a breach or a threatened breach of any provision of these Terms of Use that may, in our absolute discretion, require an urgent remedy. For the purposes of the foregoing, you expressly attorn to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario and the Federal Court of Canada sitting in Toronto, Ontario and waive any claim or defense that such forum is not appropriate. You agree that the limitations on liability, disclaimer of warranties and indemnity provisions of this Terms of Use are for the benefit of BiblioCommons, our Participating Libraries and their successors.

Compliance with Law

You agree to use the BiblioCommons Service in strict compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. You shall take no actions which would cause BiblioCommons or Participating Libraries to be in violation of any laws, rulings or regulations applicable to BiblioCommons or Participating Libraries.

Complete Agreement

Except as expressly provided in a separate written agreement between you and BiblioCommons, these Terms of Use constitute the entire agreement between you and BiblioCommons with respect to your use of the BiblioCommons Service.

Updating these Terms of Use and the Service

The BiblioCommons service is constantly evolving in order to provide the best possible experience for our users, and our terms may change accordingly. However we will not reduce your rights under these Terms of Use without your explicit consent. We will post any changes to the Terms on this page and, if the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice on the Service. Your continued use of the BiblioCommons Service signifies your acceptance of any revised Terms of Use.

Without specific notice to you, BiblioCommons may change, supplement, delete or update any portion of the Service; or establish or change, at any time, general practices and limits concerning our products and services.

Termination

You agree that BiblioCommons, in its sole discretion, may terminate or suspend your use of the BiblioCommons Service and BiblioCommons Content at any time regardless of whether the BiblioCommons Service remains accessible by others. BiblioCommons may discontinue the BiblioCommons Service at any time without liability to you. Upon termination of the license, you shall cease all use of the BiblioCommons Service.

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