About L-net

Who am I talking to?

Librarians online work at libraries all over Oregon.

You can learn more about who we are by looking at our profiles.

Evenings, weekends, and early mornings you will be connected to librarians all over the United States. You may also be connected to a librarian from outside Oregon if L-net is busy.

The person you are talking to may not be local, but will still be able to help you with resources at your library. More...

How long do I have to wait?

If you have waited for more than three minutes, there may be a technical problem.

If the problem persists, you may wish to try our e-mail service.

What kinds of questions can I ask?

We will try to answer any genuine question you think of. More...

What kinds of answers will I get?

Librarians will discuss your question with you to make sure they understand it, and then draw on print, licensed online resources and free online resources to find your answer.

Librarians are guided by the Library Bill of Rights.

Can anyone use this service?

All residents of Oregon may use the service. More...

Your privacy

We make every effort to protect your privacy. More...

Background

The Oregon State Library and the Oregon Library Association began planning a statewide virtual reference service in January 2003. We launched in April of that year as a pilot project called Answerland.

The idea for the pilot project came from the Oregon State Library's 2002 E-reference task force and the Oregon Library Association's Vision 2010 Call to Action.

The premise for the service is that Oregon's libraries can serve our communities well by connecting Oregon citizens directly to reference librarians online. Collaboration ensures that we do this efficiently and effectively.

Partners

All libraries in Oregon are welcome to become a partner in this service. Libraries can contribute by staffing the live help service, answering e-mail questions, promoting L-net, or just by taking part in the discussion about digital reference in Oregon. See our partner pages for more information.

Funding

This service is supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library. The fiscal agent for the service is Multnomah County Library.

Photo Credits

Photographs of people on our website and print materials were taken by Brandon Barnett. The photograph of the West Linn Public Library on our banner was taken by Rick Keating.

Contact information

For further questions, please contact the service coordinator, Caleb Tucker-Raymond, at 503-988-5438 or by e-mail.

Social Software Policy

As Multnomah County Library is fiscal agent for this service, we adopt that library's policies, including for social software and commenting.