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9:54 a.m. - 2003-04-21
Freedom of Speech
I keep a "social issues" folder on my computer. In it is stored well spoken or thought-provoking articles or essays on any number of topics. Today I stored one on librarian rebellion against federal statutes. What's up with that? Most records management people I know are conservative and passive in their work-a-day lives. They see their role as a conduit of information or a catalyst in terms of the chemistry definition of "initiates or accelerates chemical (intellectual) action between two or more substances (author - reader) without itself combining with any of them or undergoing any permanent change."

An article in the Chicago Tribune by Judith Graham contains the following excerpts:

" The plain black and white signs have been drawing stares in the computer room of Vermont's Sherburne Memorial Library since the beginning of the year.

"We're sorry," wrote librarians in Killington, the state's busiest ski area. "Due to national security concerns, we are unable to tell you if your Internet surfing habits, passwords and e-mail content are being monitored by federal agents.

"Please act appropriately."

If patrons are alarmed, that's the intent.

Across the country, libraries and bookstores are warning the public against what they say are vastly expanded government powers to snoop on citizens, authorized by the USA Patriot Act.

Congress passed the controversial and far-reaching act in October 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."

"What freedom is about is having the right to read anything you want and search for any information you want without the government peering over your shoulder," (Rep. Bernie, D-Vt.)Sanders said. "The Patriot Act goes much, much too far in interfering with those rights, which are a cornerstone of our democracy."

Librarians have taken a lead in speaking out on the issue. In January, the American Library Association passed a resolution calling sections of the law "a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users" and asking Congress to step up oversight of its implementation.

Twenty-five state library associations have passed similar resolutions over the past several months, noted Judith Krug, director of the library association's Office of Intellectual Freedom in Chicago............

Despite repeated requests for information by some lawmakers in Congress, the Justice Department has withheld details about how many people have had their library and bookstore records searched, citing national security concerns.

At issue is Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which gives the FBI authority to seize "any tangible thing" - including books, records, papers and documents - from businesses or organizations in connection with "an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities."

To do so, the FBI has to convince a federal judge the information is important, and it will not do that unless it has good reason, said Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo............

"We don't have any interest in looking at the book preferences of Americans. We don't care, and it would be an incredible waste of our time, not to mention a gross misuse of our investigative powers," he said.

But libraries and booksellers aren't convinced, in part because of an FBI-run program during the Cold War that snooped "inappropriately" on citizens in the 1970s and 1980s, said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association's Washington office.....

Last month 10 libraries in Santa Cruz, Calif., posted warning notices at their circulation desks.

"Although the Santa Cruz Library makes every effort to protect your privacy, under the federal USA Patriot Act � records of the books and other materials you borrow from this library may be obtained by federal agents," it read. "That federal law prohibits library workers from informing you if federal agents have obtained records about you."

Chief librarian Anne Turner has directed all of the Santa Cruz libraries to shred sign-up sheets for computer terminals at the end of each day, so no records are available. Once books are returned, those records are also eliminated from the system, she said.

In Montpelier, Vt., Bear Pond Books, one of the state's largest independent bookstores, has purged from its computer system information about the book-buying habits of 3,000 members of its "readers club."

"If someone comes asking, now we don't have that information available," said owner Michael Katzenberg....."

www.chicago.tribune.com

Now one thing I've always admired about the U.S., is its willingness to allow the free exchange of ideas and discussion without censorship. That isn't to say that I don't object to or get angry about some of the stupid things that achieve publication, but it beats controlling what citizens think and therefore how they respond to their day to day environments. Ignorance about other's beliefs and values is not bliss. It is pain and hardship in waiting - September 11 being one of the most poignant examples.

When I've visited bookstores - well what is more important than that on a vacation - in my travels in the Western States (the extent of my journeys, I'm afraid) I've always been overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of material available. Although most Canadians don't realize it, the Canadian government bans a lot more than pornographic material at our borders. Every year librarians here publish a list of all the books turned back at customs. Some of the "forbidden material" is quite surprising and one has to wonder why our government feels it can treat us like intellectual children - oh, wait we elected THEM right?.

How does it affect Canadians' access to a free exchange of ideas? Well, when I was a teenager, I was allowed to check "Lady Chatterly's Lover" (boring) out of the library long before I was allowed to check out the "Diamond and Heart Sutras" - key Buddhist texts - once I could locate copies and I had to have a signed note from my parents for that. Go figure. Censorship has barred the thoughts of people like Galileo and Nikola Tesla. Why don't our governments just openly burn offending texts like the Chinese governments do? At least they are honest with their citizens about their thought control.

Anyway, I think the battle over freedom of thought and self-expression is crucial to the future direction of society in all of North America - Go Librarians!

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