Ketzie Diaz Portfolio 2 LIB 202

The purpose of a library is to provide free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate, and empower every individual1 in the community it serves

Libraries abide by the American Libraries Associations Bill of Rights. The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that following basic policies should guide their services2.

Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association. The American Library Association affirms that rights of privacy are necessary for intellectual freedom and are fundamental to the ethics and practice of librarianship3.

September 11, 2001

19 men of the Al Qaeda cell hijack four

airplanes and fly the planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing almost 3,000 civilians and military.

September 18, 2001

President George Bush is given constitutional

authority by Congress to prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States4.

September 19, 2001

Attorney General John Ashcroft submits a draft

of a new anti-terrorism act, called the USA Patriot Act of 2001

October 24th, 2001

Congress passes the Uniting and Strengthening

America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism of 2001- the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001.

October 26, 2001

President Bush signs the USA Patriot Act.

October 24, 2003

Two senators introduce the SAFE Act, an attempt

to reduce some of the search powers given to the government in the Patriot Act.

January 22, 2004

In the case Humanitarian Law Project vs. John

Ashcroft, a, order is issued to strike down two sections, 805 and 810, as void for vagueness4.

January 30, 2004

President Bush announces he will veto the SAFE

Act if it ever reaches his desk.

FBI can seize and view library records without the knowledge of the patrons according to Section 215 of the Patriot Act
The FBI obtains the order from a secret court FBI does not have to demonstrate probable

cause Can obtain the records without informing patrons at all Libraries must comply with law enforcement and cannot inform patrons

the American Library Association opposes any use of governmental power to suppress the free and open exchange of knowledge and information or to intimidate individuals exercising free inquiry.5

What does this mean?

What you read says something about your interests

BUT is says different things to different people Actions can easily be contorted to fit the

observers version of reality6

If the FBI is looking for suspicious, they will find it Perception is skewed by intent

The feeling of being monitored inhibits freedom of thought

Trains the reader to self-censor, which blocks

creativity and cognitive abilities6

It is implied that you should watch what you are reading because so is the FBI This kind if intimidation is controlling what we read and how we think This is a direct violation of the First Amendment and why the ALA does not support the USA Patriot Act

The right to think is the beginning of freedom, and speech must be protected from the government because speech is the beginning of thought. -Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy6

1.

The Los Angeles Public Library Mission Statement. Los Angeles Public Library. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. http://www.lapl.org/about/mission.html

This is the mission statement for the second largest Public Library System in the United States. I chose this mission statement because I felt it would be a good example of most libraries mission statements.

2.

Library Bill of Rights. American Library Association. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/ind ex.cfm

The American Library Associations Bill of Rights are basic policies that should guide all library services. The Association believes that any thing that goes against these policies should be critically discussed, including orders from the government.

3.

Privacy Policy. American Library Association. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/ifissues/privacyconfid entiality.cfm

This is the ALAs policies on privacy. Since most libraries follow the ALAs policies, this is a good representation on many libraries views on privacy, which directly relates to the Patriot Act.

4.

Ball, Howard. The USA Patriot Act of 2001: Balancing Civil Liberties and National Security. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc, 2004

This reference book is a factual overview of the all events leading up to and after the signing of the USA Patriot Act. It also looks at both sides of Act, those for and against the act, but does not seem to have any biased towards the issue. I used this book to create a chronology of the USA Patriot Act.

5.

American Library Association. Librarians Protest the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. USA: Thompson Gale, 2005. 191-194.

This book is a collection of essays on different viewpoints on the USA Patriot Act. The essays are arranged Pro vs. Con and are by many different authors. This essay is published by the ALA and is a direct response to the USA Patriot Act. By using examples of their policies they argue against the use of the Patriot Act to obtain records.

6.

Gelsey, Zara. "Who's Reading Over Your Shoulder?" The Humanist 62.5 (2002): 38,38-39. ProQuest. Web. 21 Oct. 2011.

This article is one authors opinion of how the USA Patriot Act effects libraries and reading in general. The article explores the psychological aspects of the Act, how the Act effects peoples reading habits and thoughts.