Privacy Protection Policy for Patrons at the Wallace Library

The Madeleine Clark Wallace Library protects the privacy of library users. The library endorses the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association that states, "We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received." Law prohibits us from giving out any information regarding a patron's library account to ANY other person regardless of their status or identity, without a subpoena, search warrant, or court order.

Patron Record Privacy: Circulation

A library registration record is created for each patron. The record contains the patron's name, address, and other identifying information. This information is used only for library circulation purposes. The library's circulation function temporarily links a patron's library registration record with the library materials he or she has checked out. Unless fines or other exceptions occur, this link is severed when materials are returned. For each item checked out to a patron, the library maintains the following information:

Item specific details such as the author, title, call number, and barcode number.
The date charged, loan period, and the date due.
The number of renewals and the date of the last renewal.

USA PATRIOT Act

On October 26, 2001, Congress passed the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" (USA PATRIOT) Act. The act broadly expands law enforcement's surveillance and investigative powers. FBI and law enforcement agencies no longer need to show probable cause to obtain a warrant; they need only claim that the information they seek is related to investigations of terrorist activity.

The Patriot Act allows federal agents to obtain search warrants for "any tangible thing." In a library setting, this means that staff may be required to produce and hand over items such as books, papers, floppy disks, or computer hard drives. The FBI may also require the library to produce circulation records or internet use records, and to cooperate with the monitoring of electronic communications sent through the library's computer network.

Wallace Library's Response to Law Enforcement Requests for Information

In the event an FBI agent or law enforcement authority approaches a library staff member with a request for any information about a patron, the staff member will refer the request to the College Librarian or, in his absence, the Associate College Librarian. The law prohibits the library staff from revealing to the patron that he/she is under investigation.
For more information, consult:

The PATRIOT Act
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_bills&docid=f:h3162enr.txt.pdf

The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom's The USA PATRIOT Act in the Library
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ifissues/usapatriotactlibrary.htm

Further information from the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ifissues/usapatriotactlibrary.htm#analysis

February 10, 2004 MEG

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