Keeping quiet is what libraries are all about. But lately, there has been a lot of talk at Augusta-area libraries concerning the Patriot Act.
"We're not trying to protect the terrorists or any criminal," said Gary Swint, the director of the East Central Georgia Regional Libraries, which services six counties including Richmond and Columbia. "It's just that we do need to make sure we follow the law so someone won't turn around and sue us for infringing on their privacy."
The worry is that requests for records through the new antiterrorism law could clash with the duty of a librarian to protect a patron's privacy.
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Ms. Caldwell-Stone said the Patriot Act concerns librarians because it recalls the days of the Library Awareness Program, which the government used to track the reading habits of suspected Soviet spies or sympathizers.
"Given the history, the fact that the door is now open again raises a lot of concern for us," she said.
Any record request in Augusta would have to occur quickly. Computer trails such as bookmarks and sign-in sheets are erased daily. Book checkout records also are deleted from Augusta computer systems as soon as a person returns a book, Mr. Swint said.
