[WEB4LIB] RE: FBI to monitor libraries

[Donald Barclay]

The good news is that the FBI is so inept, their spying will be meaningless.
If an FBI snoop discovers that someone named Osama bin Laden has checked out
<<Suitcase Nukes for Dummies>> from the Los Alamos Public Library, chances
are his superiors will simply pigeonhole the memo and go to lunch.

Thinking wishfully on a Friday.

Donald A. Barclay
Assistant Director for Systems and Informatics
Houston Academy of Medicine--
Texas Medical Center Library
dbarclay at library.tmc.edu <mailto:dbarclay at library.tmc.edu>
713.799.7120

always the beautiful answer
who asks a more beautiful question
                 --e.e. cummings


-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of Andrew K. Pace
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 8:51 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: FBI to monitor libraries


ALA Code of Ethics
III.
We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with
respect to information sought or received and resources consulted,
borrowed, acquired or transmitted.

I don't care much about what any court has said.  This is what my profession
holds me to.
*Anyone* should have a reasonable expectation of privacy for *anything* they
do
in a library.
We should know this in our sleep,
Andrew

"Cantona, Eric" wrote:

> I don't know of a single case in which the Supreme Court (or lower) has
> ruled that there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in the use of a
> public computer.
>
> Anyone else?
> EC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew K. Pace [mailto:andrew_pace at ncsu.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 3:27 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] FBI to monitor libraries
>
>
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020530/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe
> /fbi_reorganizing_40
>
> Interesting that we have been on a thread of OPAC logs.  Is everyone ready
> to turn those logs over to the FBI?  Better get the web logs, proxy, and
> patron records out while we're at it.  Is there a patron field or web
> server log delineation for "foreigner?"  It's always refreshing to see
> professional ethics described as "bureaucratic restrictions."
>
> That was sarcasm, just in case anyone has mistaken my ethical concern for
> sympathy with Mr. Ashcroft's new plans ;)
>
> -Andrew
>
> --
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Andrew K. Pace, M.S.L.S.
> Head, Systems ~ NCSU Libraries
> North Carolina State University ~ Raleigh, NC
> andrew_pace at ncsu.edu ~ 919-515-3087
> http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/pace/
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew K. Pace, M.S.L.S.
Head, Systems ~ NCSU Libraries
North Carolina State University ~ Raleigh, NC
andrew_pace at ncsu.edu ~ 919-515-3087
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/pace/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~