LISNews: Librarian News

"Local librarians are looking for ways to continue protecting a patron’s right to privacy in spite of what they say is the federal government’s meddling ways."

"I believe very, very strongly what you read is your own damn business," said Sherm Pridham, executive director of the Portsmouth Library."

"Local librarians are considering posting signs to warn patrons that records of the books they borrow may wind up in the hands of federal agents, a move that is similar to what libraries in Santa Cruz, Calif., have already done. At least one local librarian is also considering erasing library records in order to further protect a citizens’ right to keep what they read private."

"Ignorance breeds fear, and libraries are here to dispel ignorance," said librarian Carolyn Marvin of the William Fogg Library in Eliot, Maine. "It would be a shame to have people afraid to access information that they need in their lives." (from The Portsmouth Herald)

"Along with the usual reminders to hold the noise down and pay overdue fines, library patrons in Santa Cruz are seeing a new type of sign these days: a warning that records of the books they borrow may wind up in the hands of federal agents."

"The signs, posted in the 10 county branches last week and on the library's Web site, also inform the reader that the USA Patriot Act "prohibits library workers from informing you if federal agents have obtained records about you."

"Questions about this policy," patrons are told, "should be directed to Attorney General John Ashcroft, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20530." (from The San Fransisco Chronicle)

Laurie writes "The author of this story takes Mitch Freedman and ALA to task for failing to encourage acts of civil disobedience by librarians when the FBI comes aknockin'.

"While American Library Association President, Mitch Freedman and the ALA have consistently protested these developments, they have stopped far short of using their ethical code as a moral justification for refusing to cooperate with the FBI. While some librarians and some members of the American Library Association have expressed discomfort in assisting the FBI's invasion of our privacy-as yet there is no articulated public voice advocating librarians to undertake acts of civil disobedience when the FBI comes to call."

Read The Article Here, from Counter Punch."

Santa Cruz, California, is among the first library systems in the nation to warn patrons about the ramifications of the PATRIOT Act. Signs to be posted at library branches in Santa Cruz County and on the library Web site will inform people that records of books and other materials borrowed from the library may be obtained by federal agents.
Librarians in other communities have decided against warning signs, for fear the signs might have a \"chilling effect\" on library use. Here, library board members concluded the Patriot Act has a \"chilling effect\" of its own and that the public has a right to know.

Here\'s The Full, Chilly, Story, and One On Santa Cruz, California, area booksellers, who say they are keeping traceable information at a minimum. That’s good news for civil rights advocates, who say people shouldn’t have to worry about \"The Anarchist Cookbook\" they picked up on a whim or the history of Hamas they bought a friend for Christmas.