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Someone
to Watch Over What You Read
Late
last month, the press reported that FBI agents had begun to
visit libraries across the nation seeking the reading records
of individuals suspected of having ties to terrorist organizations.
Such searches, which require warrants and have also included
bookstores and newspapers, are now legal under the U.S.A.
Patriot Act signed by President George W. Bush last October,
which greatly increased the surveillance powers of the federal
government. Concerned about how this latest chapter in Uncle
Sam’s ongoing morph into Big Brother could affect free speech,
civil libertarians and many librarians have expressed opposition
to the searches. But details of the government’s move are
scarce: The Patriot Act also has a gag provision that makes
it a crime for librarians to reveal any information about
what, or how much, the FBI wants to see.
When asked if the G-men had been around to see them, directors
of the public libraries of Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Saratoga
Springs all said they had not. And while no news may be goods
news, umbrage among local librarians over the searches is
still high. Calling the confidentiality of patrons’ reading
records “a bastion of the First Amendment,” Albany Public
Library Director Jeffrey Cannell noted that under the Patriot
Act, it is now much easier for the government to get a search
warrant for a library.
Harry Dutcher, director of the Saratoga Public Library, echoed
Cannell, saying, “The confidentiality of our patrons’ reading
records is very important to us.” He questioned the legality
of the searches under state confidentiality laws, and added
that terrorists would probably be more interested in university
libraries for their science literature than public libraries,
anyway.
Reading records in the Capital Region, however, are better
protected from prying eyes than you might think. Dutcher explained
that usual practice in most local public libraries is to keep
a record of who has borrowed a book only when the book is
out. Upon its return, the library’s computer software automatically
deletes the record. The books thus leave no electronic footprint.
Cannell also forwarded a statement on the FBI searches from
Maurice J. Freedman, president of the American Library Association.
After acknowledging the importance of the war against terrorism,
it says, “The American Library Association is concerned about
the provisions of the U.S.A. Patriot Act that allow the FBI
to seek information on Americans’ reading habits, as if it
were possible to determine what someone might do based upon
what he or she has read.
“This
wide-ranging federal surveillance of library records is a
troubling development that will have a chilling effect on
the public’s use of library resources. When someone checks
out a book or looks at the Internet, it does not mean they
agree with the information they find or that they intend to
act on that information. Librarians will continue to fight
for their patrons’ First Amendment right to read and receive
information without government interference.”
—Glenn Weiser
School
Without Sweat
The
New York State Labor- Religion Coalition recently issued report
cards to 35 Capital Region school districts based on the progress
toward the implementation of school policies diminishing or
banning the purchase of goods produced by child labor or under
sweatshop conditions. The Albany City School District was
one of seven districts given the highest ranking, distinguishing
itself by formally adopting an informed-choice purchasing
policy.
The Labor-Religion Coalition decided to issue the report cards
this year in response to Gov. George Pataki’s signing of the
“informed choice” purchasing law, also known as the sweat-free
purchasing law.
“The
law allows school districts to purchase goods from the lowest
‘responsible’ bidder,” said Brian O’Shaughnessy, Labor-Religion
Coalition director. “I believe that New York is the only state
in the country that applies the conditions under which goods
are produced to a manufacturer’s responsibility.”
Though the law does not require school districts to make informed
purchasing choices, it allows them to make moral decisions
with economic implications for their constituents; the school
districts that take part may not be able to purchase from
the vendor with the lowest costs.
“It’s
not clear whether costs have gone up because we are purchasing
from manufacturers that produce sweat-free, or if costs have
just gone up in general,” said Beth Labunski, the Albany school
district’s purchasing agent.
O’Shaughnessy said many studies show that companies known
to exploit sweatshop labor do not necessarily offer lower
prices; they may spend more money in other areas like marketing
and advertising, for example. According to O’Shaughnessy,
the cost of labor accounts for only 2 to 5 percent of a product’s
final cost.
“We
hope that other school districts will begin a sweat-free school
policy this summer,” O’Shaughnessy said. “To do the right
thing will not greatly increase a school district’s expenses.”
—T.
D.
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