American Library Association Begins Patriot Act Study
At the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Orlando last June, ALA officials announced plans to sponsor a study on law enforcement access to library records–an effort to gauge the effect of the USA PATRIOT Act on libraries and patrons. Now, that study is about to begin. A team of researchers from Florida State University’s School of Information Studies and Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, working with ALA, is about to query a diverse sample of United States public and academic libraries. The web-based surveys, Impact and Analysis of Federal Law Enforcement Activity in Academic and Public Libraries, will examine the contacts being made by law enforcement in libraries, how library policies have changed since the passage of the Patriot Act, and any resulting changes in library patron behavior.
The survey has been reviewed by legal counsel to ensure that respondents do not violate the Patriot Act gag order.
The study is financed in part by the Knight Foundation, with additional support anticipated from other foundations. Results will be presented at ALA’s 2005 Annual Conference in Chicago. Results also will be made available to Congress as they debate whether to renew parts of the Patriot Act that are scheduled to sunset in December 2005.
Library Journal Academic Newswire, January 6, 2005
