According to this article from the San Francisco Chronicle, Eric Holder, Obama's AG pick, supports the continuation of the Patriot Act provision that allows the FBI to enter a library, bookstore, or business, demand access to private patron records, then leave the staff with a directive to never speak of the incident again. It's sometimes called Section 215, and it is the sort of provision that makes privacy-loving librarians squirm. It should make all Americans squirm, since it compromises our Fourth Amendment rights to freedom from unnecessary search and seizure. Patrons don’t even need to be terrorism suspects to be victims of this kind of abuse. President Obama said in his inaugural address, just this afternoon, that the business of government needs to occur in the light of day, but permission for the FBI to execute a search of patron records is granted in a secret court. Transparency isn’t just for finance. When National Security Letters are issued and gags orders invoked, our own government becomes the terrorist. We deserve better. Holder says that he’s willing to reexamine the issue, and I think that President Obama needs to hear from those of us who care. The ALA’s report to Obama’s transition team suggests amending of Section 215, but our new president needs to hear from his new constituents, too.

Personally, I knew the day would come when Obama stopped being my underdog candidate and became the president who wasn’t doing just what I want him to do, but I guess that day’s come a bit earlier than I’d anticipated, though not as early as it did for these folks. *sigh*

Here's some ALA Information about privacy.

Well, it's a new semester, so I have a new course for which to blog. It's about intellectual freedom, which is a topic about which I feel really strongly. In fact, it's part of the reason why I wanted to be a librarian in the first place. I know that the ALA disappoints people, and I understand why, but as far as a professional organization goes, it's really a very cool one. I have a friend who, as far as I can tell, decided to be a mom after reading Mothering magazine. She was rather young and she had read the magazine at work and the issues really resonated in her, so she decided to become a mother, do some Mothering herownself. Me deciding to become a librarian isn't really all that different, if you think about it.

Anyway, I am really excited about my new class and I'll be blogging every week or two for the ret of the semester.