General Information About Ask Us!
 Who can use this service?
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What happens to my question if submitted by e-mail?
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What kinds of questions can I ask?
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Places to check before asking a question
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Who can use this service?
The primary goals of this service are to support the information and research needs of the current students, faculty and staff of the University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities and to educate our users in the best methods of selecting, retrieving, evaluating, and using information.
Depending on the subject nature of the question and the availability of University Libraries' resources and staff in that area, we may need to refer you to other libraries (for example, your local public library). When possible, however, we will extend to the citizens of Minnesota and researchers anywhere our services in using the extensive research resources that are unique to the University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities.
- To find your local public library
- in Minnesota: search search the Minnesota Library Directory
- around the world: search Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE's database of Library Servers via WWW
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What kinds of questions can I ask?
You may ask any kind of question. However, please note that we are unable to perform lengthy research for you through this service. For example, we cannot do extensive database searches for you or create lengthy bibliographies.
Also, this service does not provide loans of books held at other libraries or the photocopying and delivery of journal articles. To order books or journal articles, contact our interlibrary loan and document delivery services.
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What happens to my question if submitted by e-mail?
Library staff check for incoming requests throughout the day. We either answer your question within 24 hours of receipt, or, for a more in-depth question, forward it on to an appropriate subject specialist (in which case you should get an answer within 3 working days; we will still acknowledge receipt of your question within 24 hours). If you wish to check on the status of your question, email us at infopoint@tc.umn.edu.
If this turnaround time is not fast enough to meet your needs, please consider the other options presented on the main Ask Us! page.
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Places to check before asking a question
If you have trouble connecting to the library catalog or databases:Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
We may have answered a question like yours already! If you need help selecting the right database to start your research:
Use Research QuickStart.
This wizard-like tool aims to help undergraduates with the first steps of the research process and links to essential resources tailored to their area of study (it may help other researchers as well).
If you need help learning how to do effective library research:
Use Research QuickStudy.
You may use these tutorial modules to find answers to questions about specific
aspects of library research, e.g., how to find out if the library has a certain
journal.
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