It's an understatement to say that the attacks of September 11 have changed life for Americans and others around the world. Most noticeably, we see the changes in the security we go through in airports nowadays whenever we travel by plane. But did you know that libraries have changed as well?
Library staff across the country have become even more proactive to keep the privacy of their patrons. That means computers have programs that erase their browsing history once they are turned off or restarted, records of previous checkouts by patrons aren't kept, and anything written down on paper in helping a patron with research is shredded as soon as it's no longer needed.
Some of you may ask, "Doesn't this make it more difficult to identify and track potential terrorists?" Possibly, but would you want to be named a terrorist just because you have an academic interest in Muslim culture or planes? Do you want to feel afraid to look up something in the library or ask a librarian a question because it may get you into trouble?
That's not what the U.S. or American libraries are about. Believe it or not, there's actually a Library Bill of Rights that all American libraries follow. All people in this country--no matter their origin, background, age, or views--have equal rights to libraries and their resources. Access to information is one of the freedoms we have. It must be protected and preserved.
Patriotically yours from the perch.
No comments:
Post a Comment