Email Disclaimers for eiNetwork Email Accounts

Background

The eiNetwork offers the capability to automatically attach email disclaimers to the end of email messages sent from library staff email accounts. Email disclaimers will be enabled by the eiNetwork on a per library basis.  Requests for email disclaimers must be authorized by the library’s director and the email disclaimer text must be provided by the library.

Terms of Use:

• When enabled, disclaimers currently attach to outbound email messages only. Outbound messages are those email messages that are sent to recipients outside the eiNetwork's email system. Any communication between eiNetwork member library staff using eiNetwork email accounts will not currently have disclaimers attached.
• Email disclaimers are for legal purposes only. Legal disclaimers include text that address confidentiality, liability, negligent misstatements, etc. Email disclaimers are not being provided for appending marketing material.
• Email disclaimers will be appended to ALL outbound email messages sent from your library's staff. If your library only wants disclaimers attached to certain email accounts, please use the signature feature in Outlook Web Access.
• Requests to enable email disclaimers for your library can be made to the eiNetwork Support Center. Library directors must authorize the request for applying email disclaimers to their staff's email.
• Libraries will be required to provide the disclaimer text that they would like appended to their staff email. Email disclaimers can include details such as library name, address, number, email address, and web site. Email disclaimers will not be updated for marketing purposes. Please consider using the signature feature in Outlook Web Access if you would like to include marketing information.
• Email disclaimers are text only, and cannot include images.
• Libraries are responsible for notifying the eiNetwork Support Center if any details of their disclaimer have changed.

Instructions for Requesting Email Disclaimers

1. Develop the email disclaimer text. Common email disclaimers are 3 or 4 sentences long and usually focus on confidentiality and liability issues. Examples of common email disclaimers are provided later in this document. Libraries may want to consider having the text reviewed by legal counsel.
2. Contact the eiNetwork Support Center to request adding email disclaimers to your staff's outbound email. You will be asked to email the disclaimer text to the Support Center and to provide email confirmation from the library director.
3. Once the eiNetwork has completed the disclaimer setup, we will contact you to schedule the time/date to turn email disclaimers on for your library.
4. When signing new employees up for email accounts, please indicate whether your library has an disclaimer on the application for staff email account. There is a section on the new email account application to indicate this.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are email disclaimers?

Email disclaimers are statements that are either pre-pended or appended to e-mails. These statements are usually of a legal character.

Why should you use email disclaimers?

It is not certain whether an email disclaimer will protect you from liability in a court of law. However, it may help in the event that legal action is taken by or against you. The case has also been made that the presence of email disclaimers may deter action against you. Libraries are encouraged to seek legal counsel for questions regarding email disclaimers and recommendations on what they should contain.

Are confidentiality and liability language in an email disclaimer legally binding?

Libraries should seek legal counsel for answers to legal questions regarding email disclaimers.

Are there any examples of email disclaimers?

There are numerous resources on the Internet that provide examples. The following link http://www.emaildisclaimers.com/Sample_disclaimers.htm has a number of examples.