Ashcroft vs. the ALA

During a Sept. 15 speech in Washington, John Ashcroft mocked fears about the sanctity of libraries. He labeled concerns about the USA Patriot Act's effect on the privacy of our reading habits as "hysteria and hyperbole." He said the American Library Association believes "agents are checking how far you've gotten in the latest Tom Clancy novel." His words have drawn quite a bit of criticism and has caused the normally low-key profession to become quite outspoken against him. Furthermore, despite Ashcroft's assurances that the law has never been used to obtain library records, a survey by the California Library Association, and report in the American Library Association Online News column shows evidence that it has been used in that state alone on at least 22 occasions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/magazine/WLN104134.html
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/6846392.htm
http://www.lisnews.com/article.pl?sid=03/09/27/1044246&mode=thread&tid=31

Posted by Tom on September 29, 2003