Terms & Conditions

These terms and conditions outline the rules and obligations for using NNLM services and resources to ensure transparency and to protect the rights of NNLM staff, members, and participants.

Code of Conduct

NNLM is dedicated to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of background or identity. NNLM seeks to create a space where individuals may learn, network, and enjoy the company of colleagues in an atmosphere of mutual human respect. 

As such, we expect respectful interactions among instructors and learners. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment. Everyone has the right to professional interaction without fear, intimidation, belittlement, or microaggressions. 

Everyone who participates in NNLM activities is expected to adhere to this Code of Conduct, which is based on NIH policies and procedures, including Chapter 1311 of the NIH Policy Manual. Each participant is entirely responsible for their own behavior, regardless of intentions. It applies to all spaces of NNLM including, but not limited to, online webinars and classes, workshops, email lists, online forums, and evaluation instruments. By registering for and/or participating in NNLM environments, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. 

To foster a positive and professional learning environment, we encourage the following kinds of behaviors in all NNLM events and platforms:

  • use welcoming and inclusive language
  • be respectful of different viewpoints and experiences
  • show courtesy and respect towards other community members in speech and action
  • show respect for individuals’ personal boundaries
  • leave room for each other in the conversation
  • own the impact of our words and actions 

Examples of unacceptable behavior include: 

  • disrespectful or exclusionary jokes or statements
  • statements or behaviors causing someone to fear for their safety, such as through stalking, following, or intimidation
  • threats or violent language directed against another person
  • the display of sexual or violent images
  • unwelcome sexual attention
  • nonconsensual or unwelcome physical contact
  • disruptive behavior or language that interferes with or obstructs the teaching or learning process
  • insults or put-downs, including “trolling” and “sealioning” (asking questions intended to harass),
  • incitement to violence, suicide, or self-harm
  • continuing to initiate interaction (including photography or recording) with someone after being asked to stop
  • publication of private information or communication without consent including “doxxing” or recording chat conversations or forum posts. 

Participants who are asked to stop any inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately.

NNLM aims to maintain standards and conventions of academic integrity appropriate to a professional development curriculum in its classes. All forms of plagiarism are prohibited, including recycling assignments, fabricating research, and colluding with others on individual work unless expressly permitted as part of an assignment.  Use of standard citation styles is at the discretion of the instructor as appropriate to the level of discussion. Unattributed submission of text principally generated through artificial intelligence technology is not permitted. For a detailed explanation of plagiarism, see  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/avoiding_plagiarism/index.html.

In accordance with NIH policies and procedures, violations of the NNLM Code of Conduct may be reported to the class instructor or event host, to the NNLM Training Office (nto@utah), or anonymously via this form. Instructors or event hosts may temporarily suspend participants from a class or event pending incident resolution. 

Violations by a participant may result in: 

  • warning
  • removal from class/event, with or without warning
  • removal/suspension from NNLM classes and other events for a period of time.

Violations by an NNLM instructor will be handled by the relevant supervising institution. 

For assistance in resolving disputes or handling incidents, any involved party may request a review by an ad hoc team consisting of a representative from the NLM User Engagement Program, the NNLM Training Office, the Associate Director of the instructor’s NNLM Region, Office, or Center and the instructor. The team will respond within two business days. 

Copyright

Government information at NNLM Web sites is in the public domain. Public domain information may be freely distributed and copied, but it is requested that in any subsequent use the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) be given appropriate acknowledgement. When using NNLM Web sites, you may encounter documents, illustrations, photographs, or other information resources contributed or licensed by private individuals, companies, or organizations that may be protected by U.S. and foreign copyright laws. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use as defined in the copyright laws requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Specific NNLM Web sites containing protected information provide additional notification of conditions associated with its use.

Disclaimers

Liability: For documents and software available from this server, the U.S. Government does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed.

Endorsement: NNLM does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services. The views and opinions of authors expressed on NNLM Web sites do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government, and they may not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Pop-Up Advertisements: When visiting our Web site, your Web browser may produce pop-up advertisements. These advertisements were most likely produced by other Web sites you visited or by third party software installed on your computer. The National Library of Medicine does not endorse or recommend products or services for which you may view a pop-up advertisement on your computer screen while visiting our site.

External Links: Some NNLM sites may provide links to other Internet sites only for the convenience of World Wide Web users. NNLM is not responsible for the availability or content of these external sites, nor does NNLM endorse, warrant or guarantee the products, services or information described or offered at these other Internet sites. It is the responsibility of the user to examine the copyright and licensing restrictions of linked pages and to secure all necessary permission.

Medical Information: It is not the intention of NNLM to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and their diagnosed disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided, and NNLM urges you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions.

Privacy & Security Policy

The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) complies with requirements for privacy and security established by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This page outlines out privacy and security policies as they apply to our sites as well as third-party sites and applications that NNLM uses (for example, Facebook, YouTube).

Your Visit to NNLM Websites

Your visit to NNLM websites is private and secure. When you visit NNLM websites, we do not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) about you, unless you choose to explicitly provide it to us. However, we do collect some data about your visit to our website to help us better understand and improve its usefulness to our audience. The rest of this page describes the information that is automatically collected and stored. NNLM never collects information for commercial marketing or any purpose not related to NNLM’s mission.

When you visit any website, certain information about your visit can be collected. NNLM automatically collects and stores the following type of information about your visit:

  • The name of the domain you use to access the internet (for example, verizon.com, if you are using a Verizon online account, or standford.edu, if you are connecting from Stanford University’s domain)
  • The date and time of your visit to our website
  • The pages and documents you viewed on our website from an external search engine such as Bing or Google
  • The URL of the website you visited prior to ours
  • The words you searched for on our website
  • The type and version of your web browser and operating system, and
  • Your location at the time of your visit, down to the city level

This information is used to measure the number of visitors to the various sections of our site and improve organization, coverage, system performance or other problem areas. This information is not used for associating search terms or patterns of site navigation with individual users. When search features offer suggested terms, these suggestions are based on aggregated data only. On occasion, NNLM may provide aggregated information to third party entities it contracts with, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) or National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the purposes of research analysis. Aggregated data cannot be linked back to an individual user.

When you visit any web site, it may place a small text file, known as a "cookie," on your computer. The cookie allows the website to "remember" specific information about your visit while you are connected or when you return to that site. The NLM Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memo M-10-22, Guidance for Online Use of Web Measurement and Customization Technologies allows Federal agencies to use session and persistent cookies.

The cookie makes it easier for you to use the dynamic features of web pages. Cookies from NNLM web pages only collect information about your browser's visit to the site; they do not collect personal information about you. While visiting certain NNLM websites, you may occasionally encounter a web page that automatically employs cookies to make it easier to use the web page’s dynamic features.

NNLM websites may use either single session (temporary) or multi-session (persistent) cookies. Session cookies last only as long as your web browser is open. Once you close your browser, the cookie disappears. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer for longer periods.

  • Session Cookies: We use session cookies for technical purposes such as to enable better navigation through our site. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of session cookies as "Usage Tier 1 – Single Session." This tier encompasses any use of single session web measurement and customization technologies.
  • Persistent Cookies: We use persistent cookies to enhance the web experience for our users. Persistent cookies remain on your computer between visits to NNLM until they expire. The OMB Memo 10-22 Guidance defines our use of persistent cookies as "Usage Tier 2 – Multi-session without Personally Identifiable Information (PII)." This tier encompasses any use of multi-session web measurement and customization technologies when no PII is collected.

For example, NNLM uses persistent cookies to avoid repeat submissions to web forms. NNLM may employ persistent cookies in other ways consistent with our mission and the OMB guidelines to analyze use patterns and improve our users' experience on NNLM websites.

If you do not wish to have session or persistent cookies placed on your computer, you can disable them at any time from your web browser. If you opt out of cookies, you will still have access to all information and resources at NNLM, but you may not be able to use cookie-dependent features.

See USA.gov’s Web Measurement and Customization Opt-Out page for instructions on disabling or opting out of cookies in the most popular browsers.  Please note when you disable cookies from your web browser, you will disable cookies from all sources, not just those from NNLM.

You do not have to give us personal information to visit the NNLM website.

If you choose to send us personal information by email, by filling out a form on our web site, we use this information to respond to your message and to help us provide you with the information or material you requested.

If you choose to create an NNLM account, we use this information to analyze the reach of NNLM’s outreach activities through geographic representation and professional role. On occasion, we may request your evaluation of NNLM classes for which you have registered, or using the NNLM website. These studies help us to improve our websites and trainings, in order to make them more responsive to the needs of our users.

If you choose to become an NNLM Institutional Member, we use this information to better understand the need for health information services and support in different types of organizations, as it relates to the mission of NNLM. On occasion, we may conduct a study concerning your experience with NNLM resources and services in support of the health information outreach needs of your institution. These studies help us to improve our websites and services in order to make them more responsive to the needs of our users.

NNLM does not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information about our visitors, unless required by law enforcement or statute.

For further information, please review the NLM Privacy and Security Policy.

Some NNLM websites provide links to other internet sites that provide health information, trainings, programs and tools. Once you leave the NNLM websites, you are subject to the privacy policy of the new site.

NNLM maintains accounts on third-party websites, such as social media sites, as tools to better interact with the public. The security and privacy policies of third-party websites apply to your activity on those sites. Users of third-party websites often share information with the general public, user community, and/or the third-party operating the website. You should review the privacy policies of all websites before using them and ensure that you understand how your information may be used. You should also adjust privacy settings of your account for any third-party website to match your preferences.

See the list of NNLM’s social media accounts on the Connect with the Network of the National Library of Medicine page.

If you have an account/profile with a third-party website, and choose to follow, like, friend, or comment on a third-party website managed by NNLM, certain personal information associated with your account may be made available to us based on the privacy policies of the third-party website and your privacy settings within that website. We do not share personally identifiable information made available through these websites.

When you browse through the NNLM websites, we use Google Analytics software to gather and temporarily store a variety of information about your visit. However, this information cannot be used to identify you as an individual.

We do not associate any of the data we collect with you as an individual. Instead, we aggregate this data from all visits in order to improve our website and provide a better user experience to our visitors. The aggregate data is available only to NNLM web managers and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. You can review the Google Analytics Privacy Policy for more information.

NNLM uses surveys to collect opinions and feedback, to understand our visitors’ satisfaction with the NNLM website, trainings, products and services. These surveys do not collect PII and participation is voluntary. If you decline a survey, you will still have access to the identical information and resources on the NNLM website as those who take the survey. Answers to surveys help NNLM improve its websites, trainings, products and services to make them easier to use and more responsive to the needs of our visitors. You may refer to the privacy policies of the products we use for additional information: