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AskUsNow! is provided by librarians across the state of Maryland. We are also members of an international cooperative and you may be chatting with a librarian who is not from your local library, or even from Maryland and therefore would not have access to your personal library card records.

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Getting Started

Thank you for your question! Please enter the information requested in the frame to the right. If you enter an e-mail address you will automatically receive a complete transcript when the transaction is over, including all of the chat text and links to web sites visited.

You may choose to select the "anonymous" setting to have no identifying information about yourself submitted to the librarian, but you will not receive a transcript of the session by e-mail.

Please include as much detail as possible as you type in your question. This will help us give you a better answer!

How it works

Maryland AskUsNow! is a 24/7 live online interactive service for the residents and students of the state of Maryland. Questions from outside of the state that are about Maryland are also accepted. It uses the expertise of trained librarians to provide answers to questions, research guidance, and help navigating the Internet.

The librarian should be able to take you to useful websites and will communicate with you using Internet chat. A normal session lasts between 5 and 20 minutes. Complex questions may not be able to be answered within this timeframe. During the chat, the librarian may suggest that your question be forwarded to an expert or your local library for an answer via e-mail. Follow-up replies by e-mail can be expected within 72 hours.

If you have provided an e-mail address, your transcript will be delivered from: webmaster@askusnow.info

If the librarian offers to reply to your question later via e-mail, this reply message will be delivered from one of these addresses:

webmaster@askusnow.info
AskALibrarian@oclc.org

Please make sure to set your e-mail system to allow messages from these addresses if you are using a spam blocking tool or e-mail parental controls. We want you to see our reply!

Software compatibility

Browsers: Currently the software we use works best using an Internet Explorer browser version 6 or higher. Other browsers, including Netscape, Firefox, Opera and Safari should allow the librarian to chat with you and send web pages to your screen.
Operating systems: The service works best on a Windows operating system. Please check these instructions if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed to see how you can configure it to chat with the librarian. Some advanced features of the service may not be available when using a Mac.
Firewalls: If you have a firewall enabled, such as Norton Internet Security, it may interfere with your ability to communicate with the librarian. Content and chat filtering can interfere in the same way. In these cases, you may not be able to receive messages from the librarian. If you experience this problem, please exit the service and check these firewall instructions to see how you may configure it to allow for successful communication. Setting the domains questionpoint.org and askusnow.info as "trusted" or "permitted" in your firewall settings may help.
If all else fails: If you cannot reconfigure your computer's firewall, please be as thorough as possible when you type in your question, since the firewall may block messages after this starting point. Be sure to include your e-mail address so that we can send a reply to you. If technical problems keep you from using the live chat service, you may submit your question at our Contact us! page to receive an e-mail reply.

Tips on chat communication

Please don't use your browser's "back" arrow button. Doing so will take you back in the conversation and you may miss important messages.
Be informal, but courteous.
Use short replies and hit the send button between sentences.
Expect what might seem like delays. Some questions require the librarian to search in several places to find exactly what you need.
If you have to leave the computer, please politely let the librarian know: e.g. "Sorry, I have to go now - the computer lab is closing. Please e-mail me whatever you find at . Thanks!"

Policy of mutual respect

We treat our customers with respect and expect the same in return. If you use abusive language or deliberately waste librarian effort in a way that denies service to others, we will end the session.

We protect the privacy of your question. However, people who make threats or use offensive language forfeit their privacy.
Threats are taken seriously. If you tell us that you plan to do something illegal, you can expect there to be serious consequences.
We contact schools and Internet providers to report violations.

QuestionPoint 24/7 reference services

Maryland AskUsNow! is a cooperating member of QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference. By participating in this national cooperative, we are able to provide service at times of day when our library buildings in Maryland are traditionally not open. Librarians in this cooperative also back-up our local Maryland librarians during busy times. Find out more about QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference.

Maryland AskUsNow! is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, LSTA grant funds, through the Division of Library Development & Services, Maryland State Department of Education.

For more information, please see the About This Service page or the AskUsNow! Participating Libraries page.