Librarians Cope With Post-9/11 World

With the impact of September 11 still palpable, librarians are grappling with new legislation that has given law enforcement expanded capabilities to combat terrorism, while trying to preserve patrons' once sacrosanct right to privacy. The American Library Association's (ALA) annual conference in Atlanta, June 13–19, offered plenty of advice on this subject, as well as numerous programs dealing with the longstanding issues of securing higher salaries, understanding copyright issues, and staying on top of legislation.

ALA's new campaign to improve compensation for library workers was high on everyone's agenda. For the first time in its 126-year history, ALA has taken a more active role in lobbying for better pay by creating a Better Salaries and Pay Equity task force, under ALA President Mitch Freedman. At its midwinter meeting in New Orleans last January, ALA created a new structure called the American Library Association/Allied Professional Association (APA). The new arm, which has a 501(c)(6) status, permits previously banned advocacy activities. Since APA can't negotiate contracts with individual states, the goal of the new organization is to give librarians the resources and information they need to campaign for better salaries and pay equity at the local level.

Behind the flurry of conference activities, the fallout of September 11 was ever present. Art critic and keynote speaker Robert Hughes spoke about the "patriotic correctness" that emerged following the terrorist attacks and urged librarians to "guard your liberties." Excerpts of a touching videotape, Loss and Recovery: Librarians Bear Witness to September 11, 2001 , which gave an oral history of the disaster from librarians working in or near the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, was screened at the opening general session.

Hundreds of librarians turned out to hear lawyer Elizabeth Kessler of Leslie Harris & Associates, Eliza Dresang of the School of Information Studies at Florida State University, and author and historian Henry Reichman talk about current challenges to intellectual freedom. Kessler spoke about the implications of post-September 11 law enforcement changes for schools and school libraries. Translation: if your school allows public meetings, the FBI can attend them without a warrant, and its suspicions don't have to be limited to terrorist threats. Copyright violations, such as the illegal downloading of MP3 files, are enough to justify an FBI visit, Kessler says. "You need to think about what kinds of records you're creating and retaining and that it may be subpoenaed," she adds. All school library information is subject to review, including Web logs by children.

Public libraries are also the target of federal searches, following U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's decision on May 30 to give the FBI expanded authority to monitor Internet chat rooms, Web sites, and commercial databases for clues related to terrorist activities. These wide-reaching powers are in addition to those permitted under the U.S.A. Patriot Act, signed into law by President Bush last October. As of June, the FBI had asked 85 libraries in large urban areas for user information related to the terrorist attacks, according to a study by the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Meanwhile, Kessler also emphasized that the federal court ruling on the unconstitutionality of the Children's Internet Protection Act does not apply to schools and their libraries. Schools must maintain Internet filters on "all computers on your network, regardless if kids have access to it"—including computers in administrative offices and personal laptops connected to the school's network. Kessler strongly encouraged participation in an ongoing study by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on filters in educational institutions.

Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA's Washington office, moderated a discussion on the best ways to influence youth librarians to engage in advocacy efforts. One of the panelists, Ella Gaines Yates, retired director of the Robert W. Woodruff Library in Atlanta, offered librarians the following advice when meeting with local representatives: 1) do your homework and educate yourself on impending and ongoing library legislation; 2) know all you can about your representatives, including what legislation they have supported in the past and their educational backgrounds; 3) make sure you advocate for the betterment of the entire community and not just one racial group; 4) feel free to bring along a child when you make your case.

A total of 21,130 librarians and exhibitors attended the conference, down roughly 20 percent from last year's 26,593 total in San Francisco. Budget cuts were the main culprit, but Atlanta just isn't as popular a destination as San Francisco, says Deidre Ross, ALA's conference services director.

Other newsworthy events at ALA's annual conference:

This year's session on graphic novels was the most heavily attended preconference event. Hosted by Bonnie Kunzel, president of the Young Adult Library Services Association, there were more than 175 advance registrants.

A preconference on "Programs and Services to Meet the Needs of Your Multicultural Community" emphasized the need for librarians to reach out to their communities. Sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), speakers discussed overcoming some of the obstacles that often prevent new immigrants from taking full advantage of the library, as well as innovative programs for teens and their babies, and incarcerated fathers.

Robin Karr-Morse, the keynote speaker at ALSC's Charlemae Rollins program gave a chilling account of teen violence. Co-author of Ghosts from the Nursery (Atlantic Monthly, 1998), Karr-Morse pointed out that the seeds of violence can begin in the first few months of a child's life; therefore the need for early child development is crucial.

Contributors to this story also include Trev Jones, Walter Minkel, and Luann Toth.