MnWRL Website Policies, Terms of Use and Disclaimers

• Endorsements
• Offsite Links
• Accessibility
• Liability
• Privacy
• Establishing a Link to the Library Website
• Copyright Permissions
• Other Terms of Use
• Acceptance of Terms of Use, Policies and Disclaimers

Endorsements

Inclusion of publications or other media in the Minnesota Water Research Digital Library (MnWRL) does not imply endorsement by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) or the MnWRL partner organizations. The views expressed in publications in or accessed via Library are not necessarily the views of the MDA or MnWRL partner organizations. The MDA and MnWRL partner organizations do not recommend or endorse commercial services or products; any use of trade, product, corporation or firm names on or accessed through the MnWRL website is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the MDA or MnWRL partner organizations. Links on the MnWRL website that lead to other websites do not constitute an express or implied relationship with, or endorsement or approval of, any organization, company, product, service or website.

Offsite Links

Links on the MnWRL website that lead to other websites are provided solely for the convenience of MnWRL users to provide additional information we believe most users will find useful and valuable. The MDA in its sole discretion will determine on a case-by-case basis whether an external link is appropriate for these informational purposes. In order to maintain the integrity and usability of the MnWRL website, The MDA retains the right to reject, remove, or edit any link to an external website at any time without notice. The MDA and MnWRL partner organizations have no control over and are not responsible for the availability or content of external sites accessed via the MnWRL website. Once you leave the MnWRL website, MnWRL website policies no longer apply.

Accessibility

The MDA and MnWRL partner organizations are committed to making the MnWRL website accessible to everyone. As part of that commitment, we have made every effort to adhere to State of Minnesota Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility guidelines in developing the MnWRL website. We also make every effort to adhere to these guidelines as we continue to add new material to the Library.

As a gateway to Minnesota water research we provide access to literature from many different organizations, including a large number of downloadable PDF files – i.e., documents in Adobe® Acrobat® Portable Document Format. PDF files can only be viewed and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader™ version 4.0 or higher. You can download and get help using Acrobat Reader on the Adobe Systems, Inc. website at no charge.

PDF files created after October 1, 2010 should be accessible via screen readers and/or other accessibility tools. Many PDFs on the MnWRL website are older than that and some of these older PDFs may be inaccessible via screen readers. Users may use Adobe online tools to convert PDF files to HTML, consult one of the accessibility information websites listed below, or Contact Us to request documents in an alternative format. To get the Adobe accessibility plug-in or latest news about Adobe's accessibility tools and services, visit the Access Adobe site.

• Adobe Accessibility Resource Center
• Minnesota non-visual access law
• Section 508 Electronic and Information Technology Standards
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative

The MnWRL website also provides many links to publications and webpages on external websites (see Links and information about Offsite File links under Navigating Search Results on the Search Tips Page). We have no control over the accessibility of content on these external websites.

Liability

The MDA and MnWRL partner organizations assume no legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or utility of the information in records and documents on or accessed through the MnWRL website. Under no circumstances, including but not limited to negligence, shall the MDA or partner organizations be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages, including but not limited to loss of data or profit arising out of the use of or inability to use materials on the MnWRL website or any external websites accessed via the MnWRL website.

Privacy

Personal data provided to the MDA through the MnWRL website will be handled in accordance with the MDA's Online Privacy Practices. In order to evaluate MnWRL usage we will collect and store non-personal information such as the date and time you access our site, the domain from which you access the Internet, the Internet address of the web site from which you linked to the MnWRL web site; and the information you view while visiting the MnWRL web site. In order to respond to your requests, we may also collect personal information such as a home phone number, or personal email address that you provide via email or an online form on the MnWRL website (such as Suggest Content page or the Contact Us page). The MDA will protect the collected information pursuant to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA).

Establishing a Link to the Library Website

Establishing a link to the MnWRL homepage is encouraged under the following terms:

• Refer to the site by its full name, Minnesota Water Research Digital Library
• Link directly to the homepage using the following URL www.mn.gov/wrl.
• The link should be a full-forward link that passes the client browser to the MnWRL site unencumbered.
• Please include the following tagline or description: “The Minnesota Water Research Digital Library is a growing, searchable inventory of current Minnesota-focused scientific-technical publications on all types of water research topics, including both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed literature.”
• You may not create frames around MnWRL webpages or use other techniques that alter in any way the visual presentation or appearance of pages on the MnWRL web site.
• You may not imply that the MDA or MnWRL partner organizations endorse your products or services.
• You may not portray any subject or person in a false or misleading light.
• The MDA reserves the right to change, rename, move or delete any page in the MnWRL website at any time without notice.

Copyright Permissions

MnWRL users are responsible for obtaining any legally required permissions from individual copyright holders to reproduce any copyrighted material in documents viewed on or downloaded from the MnWRL website beyond what is allowed by fair use as defined in publication copyright laws.

Other Terms of Use

Unauthorized attempts to upload or modify information or documents on the MnWRL website are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under applicable federal and/or state law. MnWRL users are prohibited from posting or transmitting to or from the MnWRL website any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane material, or any other material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under the law.

Acceptance of Terms of Use, Policies and Disclaimers

By accessing, browsing and/or using the MnWRL website you acknowledge that you understand and agree to be bound by all of the above terms of use, policies and disclaimers and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. The MnWRL website is controlled and operated by the MDA from its offices within the United States. The MDA makes no representation that materials in the MnWRL website are appropriate or available for use in other locations and access to the MnWRL website from territories where its content is illegal is prohibited. If you access the MnWRL site from other locations, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws. Any claim relating to, and the use of, the MnWRL website and materials contained herein is governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota. The MDA may revise these terms of use, policies and disclaimers at any time by updating this posting. By using this site, you agree to be bound by any such revisions.