The Terms of Use below govern the use of all licensed digital resources made available through the Legislative Library at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. However, each digital resource may also be governed by a separate license agreement with additional terms and conditions applicable to the particular digital resource, presented by the digital resource provider. By accessing these digital resources, users agree to comply with these Terms of Use and all applicable intellectual property laws. In the event of a conflict, the terms and conditions presented by the digital resource provider will supersede the below Terms of Use.

Use of a digital resource made available by the Legislative Library at the Legislative Assembly indicates the user’s acceptance of the following Terms of Use:  

Definitions 

“Digital Resource” means an online resource made available by the Legislative Assembly by way of the Legislative Library online platform.  

“Licensed Content” means content included in a Digital Resource to which copyright applies.  

“Digital Resource Provider” refers to a vendor who provides a Digital Resource to the Legislative Assembly for use by its clients.  

“Legislative Assembly” refers to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. 

“Authorized User” means an individual who is authorized to use a Legislative Assembly Digital Resource, as set out in section A of these Terms of Use.   

A. Authorized Users  

Access to the Digital Resources is restricted to the following users. Not all Authorized Users will have access to all Digital Resources.  

• Staff of the Legislative Assembly Administration 
• Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia  
• Staff of a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, including Constituency Office staff 
• Staff of a British Columbia Political Caucus  
• Statutory Officers and their staff (Conflict of interest Commissioner, Auditor General, Chief Electoral Officer, Human Rights Commissioner, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Merit Commissioner, Ombudsperson, Police Complaint Commissioner, and Representative for Children and Youth) 
• Walk-in patrons of the Legislative Library, while they are on-site. 

B. General Restrictions  

Authorized Users of a Digital Resource must not:  

• share their login information for the Digital Resource with anyone or otherwise make the Digital Resource available to unauthorized individuals or parties;  
• modify, publish, transmit, distribute, disseminate or otherwise make any portion of the licensed content available except as permitted in the specific license permission or as permitted by law; and 
• without limiting the forgoing,  
  • sell, distribute, or use licensed contents for commercial purposes;  
  • remove or alter any copyright or other notices on the licensed content; 
  • systematically download, copy, print or store significant portions of the licensed content; or  
  • use automated methods to extract data or metadata from the licensed content or use third-party technology or AI to analyze or manipulate the content.  

C. Permitted Use  

Authorized Users of a Digital Resource may:  

• view, download, print, copy, save, and store individual copies of the licensed content for the Authorized User’s personal use, research, or study, as permitted by the applicable license agreement;  
• make a limited number of copies or prints of the licensed content;  
• share the licensed content with other Authorized Users;  
• post links or share citations to specific licensed content;  
• use reasonable portions of the licensed content for education and research purposes, including illustration, explanation, commentary, teaching and analysis; and   
• share limited extracts of the licensed content internally with individuals who are not Authorized Users for illustrative purposes as part of the Authorized User’s regular role. 

D. Warranties  

The Legislative Assembly makes no guarantee or warranty as to the quality, accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the Digital Resource made available by the Legislative Assembly. Authorized Users of a Digital Resource agree to use the Digital Resource at their own risk.  

E. Intellectual Property and Attribution  

Authorized Users of a Digital Resource are responsible for adhering to all applicable laws in relation to the use of the Digital Resource, including but not limited to, intellectual property laws. This includes, but is not limited to, providing appropriate citation when quoting from copyrighted content.  

F. Liability  

The Legislative Assembly shall not be held liable for any losses, damages, or costs sustained by any person or corporation arising out of or in connection with the use of a Digital Resource made available by the Legislative Assembly. Without limiting the foregoing, the Legislative Assembly will not assume liability for any copyright infringement committed by any person or corporation in conjunction with the use of Digital Resources made available by the Legislative Assembly.  

G. Indemnity  

Authorized Users agree to indemnify the Legislative Assembly against any liability, losses, damages, or awards resulting from any actions, suits, demands, or claims resulting from or in connection with the Authorized Users’ use of a Digital Resource made available by the Legislative Library, or the Authorized User’s breach of these Terms of Use.  

H. Privacy and Data Security 

The Legislative Library provides access to third-party platforms (e.g., HeinOnline, PressReader, Canada Commons, ProQuest) to support research and learning. Use of these services is voluntary. The Legislative Assembly does not collect or store personal information from these Digital Resource platforms. The Legislative Assembly may collect usage data for statistical and operational purposes. Such usage data is collected in aggregate form and does not contain personal information of an Authorized User. Authorized Users are responsible for safeguarding their personal information as well as any Legislative Assembly information, including username and password, while using a Digital Resource. Authorized Users shall adhere to all relevant Legislative Assembly data and privacy policies while using a digital resource, such as Policy 5405- Appropriate Use of IT Resources.  

If an Authorized User chooses to create a personal account on a third-party platform:  

• Their personal information will be collected, stored, and used according to the platform’s privacy policy. Where applicable, additional privacy information has been linked under specific Digital Resources listed on the Legislative Library’s website. 
• By creating an account with a Digital Resource, an Authorized User consents to the platform’s data and privacy practices.  
• An Authorized User’s data may be stored outside Canada and subject to foreign laws.  
• Authorized Users are encouraged to not sign up for any third-party platform with their social media accounts. 

While using a Digital Resource, Authorized Users may be redirected to external third-party websites. Authorized Users are responsible for reviewing the terms of use and privacy policies of all third-party websites. The Legislative Assembly is not responsible for the content, reliability, or privacy practices of these external websites.  

I. Termination of Access  

If a violation of these Terms of Use, or the terms and conditions specific to a Digital Resource is detected, this may result in the loss of access for all Authorized Users. The Legislative Assembly reserves the right to terminate an Authorized User’s access to any or all Digital Resources for failure to comply with these Terms of Use, the terms and conditions for the applicable Digital Resource, or any other Legislative Assembly policies. 

J. Changes to the Terms of Use   

The Legislative Library reserves the right to update these Terms of Use at any time. Updates will be posted on this page and will take effect when published.  

Contact Us:   

If you have any questions or concerns regarding use of the Digital Resources, please contact library@leg.bc.ca.  

For privacy questions or concerns, please contact privacy@leg.bc.ca. 

Terms for Specific Digital Resources 

Canada Commons 

Canada Commons Terms of Use 

Canada Commons Privacy Policy 

Canadian Oxford Dictionary 

Oxford Reference Terms of Use 

Oxford Reference Privacy Policy 

Grant Connect 

Grant Connect Terms of Use 

Grant Connect Privacy Policy