Patriot Act draws hefty criticism by nation's librarians

[HARDCORE]

Patriot Act draws hefty criticism by nation's librarians

Many at S.D. forum angered by the law


By Michael Stetz
STAFF WRITER

January 11, 2004


John Ashcroft better hope he doesn't have any overdue library books.

While librarians meeting in San Diego didn't use his name, several voiced their anger and disgust yesterday at a law the U.S. attorney general has termed critical in the war against terrorism ? the USA Patriot Act.

They say it gives government too much authority, especially over access to library records. It could, among other things, chip away at academic freedoms, they said.

People will become afraid to do research or send e-mail at libraries, knowing the government can access those records, they said.

"You have to stand up and talk about it," said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the Washington office of the American Library Association, speaking yesterday at a forum on the USA Patriot Act.

More than 10,000 members of the association are in San Diego, attending the organization's convention. The forum took place in the Hyatt Regency downtown.

More than a few have spoken up, saying Americans' freedoms are being eroded in the wake of Sept. 11. They have become some of the more vocal critics of the law.

Passed weeks after the terror attacks, it gives the government more power to battle terrorism. Law enforcement can go to a secret court and get the power to access a host of records for investigations involving national security.

But the law is not being used solely for that, many at the forum said.

Federal law enforcement agencies are using the bill to go after domestic criminals, said Candace M. Carroll, a local attorney and a member of the state and national boards of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Its main use has not been against terrorism," she said.

The association passed a resolution last year calling some parts of the law "a danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users."

The criticism prompted Ashcroft to release classified data showing that the bill had not been used to gain access from libraries. The Justice Department maintains that it is using its new powers appropriately.

But that hardly has seemed to cool the association's criticism.

At yesterday's forum, the association's lobbyists urged librarians to return to their academic institutions and build coalitions to fight the bill.

Patrice McDermott, assistant director of the group's Washington office, said a continued effort is needed because "most people are ignorant about this."