Social Media Policy

(Last updated July 18, 2012)

Public policy notification

The Legislative Reference Library ("Library") recognizes the importance of communicating with the public online, including through social media. This document provides information to members of the public regarding the Library's policies for use of the Library's Twitter and Pinterest sites, as recommended by the Texas Department of Information Resources.

Moderation policy

You are encouraged to share your thoughts as they relate to the topic being discussed. We ask, however, that you follow our posting guidelines.

We reserve the discretion to remove comments that:

Contain obscene, indecent, or profane language;
Contain threats or defamatory statements;
Contain personal attacks or insulting statements directed toward an individual;
Contain hate speech directed at race, color, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, or disability;
Promote or endorse services or products; relevant non-commercial links are acceptable;
Are unrelated to the topic being discussed;
Are of a repetitive or "spamming" nature (the same comment posted multiple times);
Include copyright violations;
Suggest or encourage illegal activity;
Contain information that is confidential under Texas public information law.

All comments are public. Your participation is at your own risk, and users are personally responsible for their comments, photos, username, and any other information provided.

Users who repeatedly violate the posting policy may be blocked from the Library's social media sites.

Linking

Links from social media pages operated by the Library to any other websites do not constitute or imply Library endorsement of those sites, their content, or products and services associated with those sites.

Privacy notification

Posts and comments on social media pages operated by the Library are public and may be viewed by all visitors. Therefore, visitors should be careful about posting any private or personally identifiable information and limit such information to the minimum necessary to communicate their message. If you need to include private or personally identifiable information in your communications with the Library, please contact us directly.

Public information

Comments made on social media pages operated by the Library may constitute public information. Public information requests will be handled in accordance with the public information law.

By making your e-mail address available on a social media page operated by the Library, you affirmatively consent to the release of your e-mail address on the social media page.

Record Retention

Content of the Library's social media pages may constitute public records subject to Texas records retention requirements.

Third-party website policy

The social media tools employed by the Library are hosted by third parties, and in addition to the policies of the Library, the use of those sites is governed by the social media providers' own policies, such as their respective privacy policies and terms of service.

Intellectual property rights and ownership

The Library respects the rights of all copyright holders, and therefore, it has adopted and implemented a policy that provides for the removal of material that infringes the rights of copyright holders. If you believe that your work has been posted in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please e-mail the Library at lrl.service@lrl.texas.gov.

Accessibility

Pinterest
If you are having trouble viewing the Library's Pinterest site, please e-mail the Library at lrl.service@lrl.texas.gov.

Twitter
To accommodate Library users with disabilities, www.easychirp.com is the suggested alternative access to the Library's Twitter profile.