Website of the Week

American Library Association, Libraries and the Patriot Legislation, http://www.ala.org/washoff/patriot.html

Under this new federal law, law enforcement officials may ask library staff for information and computer equipment may be seized. The American Library Association, the nation's largest organization of librarians, has prepared information for concerned library staff.

The website includes:

• a PowerPoint presentation
• a chronology and bibliography relating to the USA PATRIOT Act
• guidelines for librarians
• sample Department of Justice language and letters on the voluntary disclosure of information and the seizure of computers and electronic evidence.

The site also links to several Congressional Research Service reports on the Patriot Act and selected websites, including the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Electronic Privacy Information Center.