Terms of Use

Please read these Terms of Use carefully. They contain important information about your rights and responsibilities when using Library of Human Experience.

Last Updated: September 9, 2026

By accessing or using Library of Human Experience, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site or its services.

These Terms may be updated from time to time. Any changes will be posted here with a new “Last Updated” date. Continued use of Library of Human Experience means the updated Terms apply.

1. Who Can Use Library of Human Experience

You must be at least 18 years old to submit content to Library of Human Experience.

You may browse and read published stories subject to applicable age requirements in your location.

2. What Library of Human Experience Is

Library of Human Experience is a storytelling and archival platform where people share personal experiences and perspectives by responding to thoughtful questions through text and voice.

Stories may be preserved and shared in different formats, such as text, audio, or video, based on the contributor’s consent and the applicable Submission or Release Agreement.

Library of Human Experience:

  • Is not a social network
  • Does not include comments or public user-to-user interaction
  • Allows optional accounts for bookmarking stories and saving certain preferences
  • Exists as a curated archive of lived experience, reflection, and human perspective

You can explore published stories without creating an account.

3. Your Content & Ownership

What You Own

When you share your story with Library of Human Experience, you retain ownership of your story and the materials you provide.

This includes:

  • Your original submission
  • Your text, voice recordings, and other materials you provide
  • Your published story and its approved versions

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of your content to Library of Human Experience or its operator.

Any editing, formatting, transcription, production, or other preparation performed by Library of Human Experience is done to prepare your content for publication in the formats you have consented to and does not create ownership or co-ownership rights in your content.

Your ownership rights and the specific permissions granted for your content are further governed by the applicable Submission Agreement or Release Agreement, which controls in the event of any inconsistency with these Terms.

What You License to Library of Human Experience

By submitting your story, you grant Library of Human Experience a non-exclusive, revocable license to publish, distribute, preserve, and promote your story as part of Library of Human Experience.

This license applies:

  • Only to the formats you have explicitly agreed to
  • Only for the purposes described in your applicable submission or release agreement
  • Only for as long as your content remains published, subject to the terms of that agreement

This license allows Library of Human Experience to:

  • Publish your story on the Library of Human Experience website
  • Create approved publication formats from your submission, such as text, audio, or video, where you have consented to those formats
  • Share and promote your published story through Library of Human Experience’s channels
  • Preserve your story while it remains published

If you choose to be credited, this license also covers displaying the social media accounts or other identifying information you specifically chose to include with your published story.

This license does not transfer ownership of your story to Library of Human Experience.

The license ends when your content is removed, except where continued display or retention is technically unavoidable or otherwise permitted by the applicable agreement, such as copies held by third-party platforms, caches, archives, or services outside Library of Human Experience’s control.

Content Standards

You agree that your submission will:

  • Be your own experience and not intentionally misleading
  • Be something you have the right to share
  • Not intentionally infringe another person’s rights
  • Not promote violence, harassment, or illegal activity
  • Be respectful toward others, even when discussing difficult experiences

4. Reuse of Your Story

You retain ownership of your story.

If someone wishes to reuse any part of your story, they should first obtain your permission.

If you’ve chosen to be credited, your published story may include the social media accounts or other information you provided when submitting it.

These details may provide a way for someone to contact you about your story or request permission to reuse it.

If you’ve chosen to remain anonymous, your story will be published without attribution.

5. Removal Rights

You may request removal of your content at any time using the available removal request process.

Library of Human Experience will:

  • Remove your content from platforms and services it controls within 3 days of receiving a valid removal request
  • Stop promotion and distribution of the content under its control

Complete removal from the internet may not be possible because copies may exist on third-party platforms, search engines, cached pages, archives, screenshots, or other services outside Library of Human Experience’s control.

Removal of your content does not transfer or otherwise affect your ownership rights.

6. Prohibited Activities

You may not:

  • Interfere with or disrupt Library of Human Experience
  • Access non-public systems or data
  • Upload malicious code or harmful software
  • Violate applicable laws or another person’s rights
  • Scrape, mine, or harvest data from the website
  • Submit false or intentionally misleading information
  • Use the service fraudulently or abusively
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to accounts, systems, or information
  • Circumvent security measures or access restrictions

7. Platform Rights

What Library of Human Experience Owns

The Library of Human Experience name, branding, website design, structure, original platform materials, and underlying technology belong to Library of Human Experience and/or its operator, except for content submitted by contributors.

You may not use Library of Human Experience’s branding or represent yourself as being affiliated with Library of Human Experience without permission.

Content Moderation

Library of Human Experience may decline to publish, edit, restrict, or remove content that:

  • Violates these Terms or applicable law
  • Contains abuse, harassment, or discriminatory content
  • Infringes another person’s rights
  • Contains information that creates privacy, legal, or operational concerns
  • Is intentionally misleading or fraudulent
  • Otherwise falls outside the purpose or standards of Library of Human Experience

Library of Human Experience reserves the right to review suspected violations and take appropriate action.

No Endorsement

Published stories represent the individual experiences and perspectives of their contributors.

Their inclusion in Library of Human Experience does not mean that Library of Human Experience endorses, verifies, or independently confirms every statement made in a story.

8. Privacy & Data Use

Your privacy matters to Library of Human Experience.

  • Account information is used to provide features such as bookmarking and applicable account functionality
  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials
  • Email addresses provided with stories are kept private and used for story-related communication
  • Email addresses are not used for marketing or newsletters

Full details about how Library of Human Experience handles personal information are explained in the Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

9. Third-Party Content

Library of Human Experience may link to or embed third-party content, such as videos, media, or external resources.

Library of Human Experience is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, availability, or services of external websites or platforms.

Your use of third-party services is subject to their own terms and policies.

10. Intellectual Property Concerns

If you believe content published on Library of Human Experience infringes your intellectual property or other rights, please contact:

pteyra@libraryofhumanexperience.com

Please include sufficient information for the concern to be reviewed.

11. Disclaimers

Library of Human Experience is provided “as is” and “as available.”

Library of Human Experience does not guarantee uninterrupted access, error-free operation, or that the platform will meet your specific needs.

User-submitted content is accessed at your own discretion.

Stories are shared for reflection, documentation, and human understanding. They are not medical, psychological, legal, financial, or other professional advice.

Library of Human Experience does not represent that any particular story, opinion, experience, or statement is accurate, medically correct, or applicable to another person’s circumstances.

Nothing in this section limits or excludes liability where such limitation or exclusion is prohibited by applicable law.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Library of Human Experience and its operator will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or other losses arising from your use of the website, your reliance on published content, or the creation, publication, or distribution of content through Library of Human Experience.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where such exclusion or limitation is prohibited by law, including liability for matters that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

13. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Library of Human Experience and its operator from claims, losses, liabilities, and expenses arising from:

  • Your use of the platform
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your content or actions
  • Your violation of applicable laws or another person’s rights

This does not apply to the extent a claim results from Library of Human Experience’s own unlawful conduct or liability that cannot legally be excluded.

14. Termination

Your Right

You may stop using Library of Human Experience at any time.

If you have an account, you may delete your account using the available account controls.

Library of Human Experience’s Rights

Library of Human Experience may suspend or terminate access where necessary because of:

  • Violations of these Terms
  • Illegal or abusive activity
  • Security concerns
  • Other legitimate operational reasons

Termination of access does not affect your ownership rights or your ability to exercise applicable content removal or privacy rights.

Library of Human Experience may also modify, suspend, or discontinue parts of the platform at any time, with or without notice.

15. Legal Terms

Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to Library of Human Experience and its operator, subject to any mandatory rights or protections that apply to you under the laws of your place of residence.

Nothing in these Terms is intended to override or limit rights that cannot legally be excluded.

Order of Precedence

If there is any conflict between these Terms and a signed Submission Agreement or Release Agreement, the applicable signed agreement controls with respect to your submitted content and the permissions granted for it.

Electronic Communications

By using Library of Human Experience, you acknowledge that communications related to your content, account, requests, or the operation of the service may be sent electronically.

Force Majeure

Library of Human Experience is not responsible for failures or delays caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control.

Entire Agreement

These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and applicable Submission and Release Agreements form the agreement governing your use of Library of Human Experience and your submission of content.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect.

No Waiver

Failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

Assignment

You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without permission.

Library of Human Experience may assign its rights and obligations where permitted by law.

Questions?

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms, please contact:

pteyra@libraryofhumanexperience.com

By using Library of Human Experience, you are participating in a space built on trust, consent, and respect for lived experience.

These Terms exist to protect contributors, readers, and the integrity of Library of Human Experience.