[Libs-Or] [IFACTION:9254] PATRIOT study launched to measure law enforcement activity in libraries (fwd)

[George Yobst]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2005 14:57:36 -0600
From: Don Wood <dwood at ala.org>
To: Intellectual Freedom Action News <ifaction at ala.org>
Subject: [IFACTION:9254] PATRIOT study launched to measure law enforcement
    activity in libraries

ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 14, Number 1
January 5, 2005

In This Issue: ALA begins PATRIOT study to measure law enforcement
activity in libraries

This week ALA initiated a set of surveys to assess the impact of the
USA PATRIOT act on America's libraries and library patrons. Working
with
several teams of academic researchers, ALA seeks to quantify and
examine
contacts by federal law enforcement agencies in public and academic
libraries. The planning phase of this project was made possible by a
grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Knight Foundation
is helping to finance these studies, with additional support
anticipated
from other foundations.

As homeland security tops the 109th Congress's list of priorities and
parts of the PATRIOT Act are scheduled to sunset in December, 2005,
ALA
seeks to ensure that library patron privacy is preserved. The results
of
these surveys will provide much-needed information to inform the
debate
about law enforcement's role in libraries and the effect that the law
enforcement activity is having on library users. Preliminary results
will be made available to members of Congress as they debate the
status
and necessity of the sunset provisions.

The Web-based surveys, titled Impact and Analysis of Federal Law
Enforcement Activity in Academic and Public Libraries, are directed at
academic and public library administrators. The survey questions will
examine the contacts being made by law enforcement in libraries, how
library policies have changed since the passage of the USA PATRIOT
Act,
and any resulting changes in library patron behavior. The survey
instrument has been carefully reviewed by counsel for the ALA to
ensure
that respondents do not violate the gag order imposed by the USA
PATRIOT
Act, and the U.S. Department of Justice has acknowledged its interest
in
the results of the project.

The team of researchers working in tandem with ALA have selected a
diverse sample of United States public and academic libraries
reflecting
geographic, population, and size differences. Administrators of the
libraries selected for the study will be notified by mail. Libraries
selected for the survey are strongly encouraged to respond.

The results of the studies will be presented as a report at the
American Library Association's 2005 Annual meeting in Chicago.  The
results may be used to create an educational resource for
practitioners
on dealing with federal law enforcement.


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