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James Lennertz, associate professor of government and law, and Katherine Furlong, Access Services librarian, will discuss the Patriot Act noon-1 p.m. today in Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall.
The brown bag is sponsored by Students for Social Justice. Those attending are encouraged to bring lunch.
“Expressed by Lady Justice’s scales and the 4th Amendment’s concept of ‘reasonableness,’ the Patriot Act calls on us to balance liberty and privacy with security,” says Lennertz. “Can balancing, especially in such an extraordinary context, be an open-minded method of analysis and evaluation, or is it mere rhetoric intended to ‘dress up’ one’s preconceptions?”
Furlong will talk about the act as it relates to the library, as well as local and Lafayette reaction and the steps that have been taken because of it.
“The freedom to read, discuss, think, question — the freedom to research and form your own opinions on a matter as guaranteed in the First Amendment — is a cornerstone of democracy,” she says. “Libraries in this country have grown up under this national tradition of preserving the public’s right tofree expression. Library policies and state laws protecting patron privacy and confidentiality are formed from the librarian’s ethical commitment to providing an atmosphere conducive to free intellectual inquiry.”
Librarians oppose the use of government power to suppress the open exchange of knowledge and information or to intimidate individuals exercising free inquiry, she says. Sections of the Patriot Act threaten the constitutional and privacy rights of library users, she adds.
The library does not keep circulation records on items after they have been returned.
“While the Patriot Act is a dangerous precedent, it’s good to know that it does not impose any duty on libraries to collect or retain confidential information about its patrons for law enforcement purposes,” says Furlong. “In addition, only FBI agents can use the Patriot Act to request information. An FBI agent who wishes to obtain confidential patron information is still required to present a search warrant or other court order before he or she can legally obtain those records.”