by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The U.S.A. Patriot Act has the full support of the Jacksonville libraries.
Since the sweeping anti-terrorism legislation was signed into law in 2001, it has drawn criticism from national library groups and individual branches. The law permits federal agents, bearing search warrants or subpoenas, to check library records. The information available includes address, phone numbers and, in some cases, Social Security and drivers license numbers.
The American Library Association said the law imposed on its visitors’ First Amendment right to receive information in a publicly-funded library. Some branches have shredded their records.
Although a member of the ALA, library spokesperson Stacie Bucher said local branches would follow the law to the letter.
“We are going to cooperate with any law enforcement officer on any level that carries a subpoena or a search warrant,” said Bucher.
She said the libraries’ policies would continue to be guided by state and federal law.
When registering for a library card, names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdate and card number are recorded by the branch — Social Security and drivers license numbers are optional. Bucher said the libraries would have to provide that information if requested properly.
Visitors won’t have to worry about their reading habits coming under scrutiny. Check-out records only reveal the book’s most recent holder. Bucher said the libraries purge Internet information nightly.
Over the next two months, the library board will review local policy. Bucher said the board would likely choose to alert visitors that their information could be subject to search. That policy would keep with the ALA’s recommendation that library users should be made aware of what information is kept and how they can protect their privacy. The law prevents a branch from notifying somebody already under review.
The Santa Cruz, Calif. library posted warning signs that federal agents could check their library records. The posters referred questions or comments to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The ALA further recommended that its members check the Patriot Act against State confidentiality legislation. Some State statutes bar libraries from disseminating user information. However, Florida law only prevents the information from release to the public or media.