APPROPRIATE USE OF E-MAIL BY LIBRARY EMPLOYEES
Electronic mail (e-mail) has become an important form of communication for the Libraries and the University. These guidelines establish expectations for library employees as they relate to the use of University e-mail services in the library setting.
For the purposes of these guidelines, “library employees” includes all permanent and part-time staff, contract staff, if-and-when staff and graduate assistants. It does not include other student employees. The University of Maryland Policy on the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources more broadly define the rights and responsibilities of our community and should also be read and understood by library employees. Refer to the Guidelines at http://www.nethics.umd.edu/aup/.
Library employees are provided University e-mail accounts for the purposes of conducting the Libraries’ and the University’s business. The Libraries also use group messaging services (mail exploders), such as listservs and reflectors, for communication among various entities, ranging from committees to teams to units, departments or divisions, to the entire library staff.
Library employees are expected to acquire an e-mail account on a University e-mail server or activate the University e-mail account assigned to them (i.e., on the mail system) and their address will be added to the all-staff e-mail reflector ( library-staff@umd.edu ). An employee’s e-mail signature should contain the following standard information which is pertinent to the conduct of university business:
- Name
- Job title and department or division
- Mailing address
- Telephone number, fax number
- E-mail address
Library employees are expected to stay current with reading and replying to inquiries, if responses are required or appropriate. Library employees are also expected to be familiar with the content of announcements that pertain to them.
Library employees who send or broadcast e-mail on a mail exploder are expected to do so responsibly, having determined that the e-mail is appropriate and pertinent or necessary to accomplish work-related purposes. A person broadcasting a message over any mail exploder should determine in advance that the prospective message is pertinent to the entire group. A person answering a message posted on a mail exploder should respond to the group only if the entire group needs to know the individual’s response.
Library employees should construct e-mails efficiently, with all material in the text of the message wherever possible. Attachments should be used only when format is important.
ADMINISTRATIVE MEMO # 30
Effective Apri 26, 2000Revised June 18, 2001
Revised April 18, 2007
Supersedes #30, “UMAIL REFLECTOR – COMMERCIAL USE,” December 5, 1997
Suggested revisions to any Administrative Memo should be addressed to the Director for Planning & Administrative Services.
