Libraries change policies in face of Patriot Act

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library Board took measures Thursday to protect privacy of its patrons from the broad police powers of the Patriot Act.

The board approved a policy to delete library computer use records of patrons on a daily basis, similar to its longstanding policy of deleting records of borrowed books, videotapes and other materials once they are returned.

"A fundamental principle in public libraries is a lack of censorship, and there is no such thing without assurance of privacy," Library District Executive Director Daniel Walters said.

"This policy results from a combination of converging issues -- growth of available electronic services amid police no longer needing probable cause under the Patriot Act."

The policy passed at Thursday's meeting will "fully disclose to patrons that they can use our growing number of electronic services with confidence that there isn't some old record sitting around in some file."

Walters said the Library District's policy always has been to comply with law enforcement only when they have a court order to obtain records. That will not change, Walters said.

He said, however, it is a complex issue navigating through privacy information and records libraries must keep on patrons to assure that books, videotapes and other materials checked out are returned.

Since the mid-1980s, when the district's libraries became automated, the policy of records on the return of books, videotapes and other materials has been to eliminate the record of what materials were borrowed the same day they are returned.

The new policy will extend that practice to use of computers. Such records currently are manually kept at the libraries. Under the policy change, the logs will be electronically recorded and deleted. Patrons sign agreements before using computers that they will not use the devices for illegal activities, Walters said.

Walters said that the most common request libraries receive from law enforcement agencies are related to burglaries, where police find stolen library books among other stolen goods and want to know who last checked them out to get a lead on who the thief might be.

Walters said that information still would be on record because the books in question were not returned. But police still would need a court order to obtain those records, he said.