Newsletter No. 155
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FreePint
"Helping 66,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 4th March 2004 No.155
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ALTERNATIVE NEWSLETTER FORMATS AVAILABLE AT:
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.htm>
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IN THIS ISSUE
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EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Jonathan Smart
FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
JOBS
Content Management Coordinator
Senior Information Specialist (Pharmaceutical)
Archivist
TIPS ARTICLE
"Taking control of your PC"
By Peter Kaiser
BOOKSHELF
"Recherche-Handbook - Wirtschafts-Informationen"
Reviewed by Jeremy Williams
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Librarians and The War On Terror"
By Jonathan Crowhurst
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.htm>
FULLY FORMATTED VERSION
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.pdf>
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*** Company information in an instant from BUREAU VAN DIJK ***
Access financial information on over 11 million public and private
companies worldwide (2.6 million in the UK). Products available
include FAME, AMADEUS, DASH and BANKSCOPE.
To find out more and to register for a FREE trial visit
<http://directory.bvdep.com/register/register.asp>
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"FreePint Virtual Exchange:
Copyright and the new law : what it means for you"
Send in your questions for inclusion in this
Virtual Exchange which will be available in March:
<http://www.freepint.com/exchange/>
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>>> ABOUT FREEPINT <<<
FreePint is an online network of information searchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month: it is packed with tips
on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
a substantial archive of articles, reviews, jobs & events, with
answers to research questions and networking at the FreePint Bar.
Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out.
To receive a fully formatted version as an attachment or a brief
notification when it's online, visit <http://web.freepint.com/>.
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> Library + Information Show -21st + 22nd April 2004, ExCeL, London <
The LiS, incorporating Total Library Solutions, covers all areas of
information and knowledge management. Of the 130 exhibitors, at least
50% are either new to the event or will be demonstrating new products.
Plus we have a comprehensive, free seminar programme with speakers
including John Byford, British Library Legal deposit specialist to
Andrew Motion Poet Laureate. For more information please see -
<http://www.lishow.co.uk>
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EDITORIAL
At the beginning of the year, the Department of Trade and Industry in
the UK launched an initiative to help kick-start the 1999 Employee
Home Computer Initiative <http://digbig.com/3tmf>. It gives staff
computers to enable them to work at home. Bosses get tax breaks, and
employees get a computer at home by paying in instalments from their
wages.
If growing numbers of people are working at home, either as employees
or independent consultants, then individuals will increasingly
need to be supported technically.
There can be fewer distractions working at home, but it can sometimes
be quite daunting when the IT helpdesk person is not there to help.
Even if someone is on the end of a phone, it pays to know the basics
of PC trouble-shooting.
One man who likes to be in control of his own PC is Peter Kaiser. His
article this week will strike a chord when he says "things often go
wrong, including freezes, crashes, and many varieties of
incomprehensibility, that are just not your fault, computers are not
user-friendly".
For solo working, online networks are invaluable and the FreePint Bar
<http://www.freepint.com/bar> is always full of technical queries and
tips. Let us know if there is a technical problem that you need help
on. If there is an issue that is causing many of you problems, then we
will consider running more articles in the newsletter, or running some
virtual training.
In our interview with Jessamyn West by Jonathan Crowhurst, we deal
with the controversial subject of the US Patriot Act 'Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism'.
Essentially the Act has a clause that allows the examination of
library records, and reading habits of patrons, to identify potential
terrorists. It is librarians in the US who have emerged as some of
the most strident critics of what they see as the Patriot Act's
significant infringements on civil rights. Jessamyn West, who runs
librarian.net <http://www.librarian.net> is no exception. She has
strong personal views and has described herself variously as an
activist, progressive, and "anarchist librarian".
Is the Patriot Act an essential tool on the war on terror (the US
Justice department's line) or a limit to free speech? Of course, it
is not that simple, so you should read the interview and related
material online and make up your own mind. It is an important debate,
and one that FreePint feels it is important to air. The Special
Libraries Association made an important stand by letter last September
against comments made by the US Attorney General that librarians
had been easily misled about the Act by "breathless reports and
baseless hysteria" <http://www.sla.org/PDFs/USDoJLetter.pdf>.
If you want to be ahead of the game in understanding copyright, then
it is your last chance to send in your emails for our special
Virtual Exchange <http://www.freepint.com/exchange/>.
Finally, subscribers to VIP - the only truly interactive information
industry journal, are growing steadily. Suggest the content you want
to see in future via the VIP lounge <http://www.vivavip.com>. Issue 3
is just out and includes product reviews of Net Snippets Professional,
and ICC's Plum UK company and stakeholder information.
Annabel Colley
Editor, FreePint
<annabel.colley@freepint.com>
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2004
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WWW.MARKETRESEARCHONTHEWEB.COM
A new subscription service providing a database of free and paid-for
sites containing market information, statistics, and industry news.
Full links to regularly evaluated UK and European sites from trade
associations, research agencies and publishers, journal publishers,
industry portals. Try out the free trial, or contact
mrow@irn-research.com for more details.
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"An Introduction To Freedom Of Information"
ISBN 1-904769-03-9
This report covers the role that publication schemes play in the UK's
freedom of information regime; the rights of applicants; the handling
of freedom of information requests; complaints procedures; the
exemptions; fees and charges; the importance of having good records
management systems and procedures in place; and the interface between
data protection and freedom of information.
<http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/>
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Jonathan Smart
* Resource Discovery Network <http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/> - Highly
recommended to students for its subject-specific Web tutorials
- I hope the RDN manage to sustain the updating of its content.
* Pandia <http://www.pandia.com/> - Found this the other day (or, to
be more specific, a colleague did). A more general approach to Web
searching with associated tutorials -- useful as a basic
introduction.
* Sheila Webber & Bill Johnston's information literacy place
<http://dis.shef.ac.uk/literacy/> - Anyone with an interest in
information literacy can hardly not include this site. A Weblog
facility has been added recently.
* Big Blue <http://www.leeds.ac.uk/bigblue/> - One feature of this
site that I found very useful is the comparative chart of
characteristics of the information-literate person which includes
elements identified by most of the major players in this field.
* BEST Business Education Support Team
<http://www.business.ltsn.ac.uk/default.htm> - The Learning and
Teaching Subject Network for Business (a subject area to which I was
aligned). These are the sort of fora where we should be making the
case for information literacy.
Jonathan Smart BA (Hons), ALA, Dip Ed., has a background in various
areas, including FE and HE libraries. He is currently at the
University of Plymouth, about to move into the reorganised role of
Academic Support Co-ordinator, Skills, where information literacy will
be a core responsibility. He has for some time developed the delivery,
support and assessment of IL within Business modules, and is
interested in pedagogic aspects including developing computer-based
assessment, diagnostic testing, working with learning styles and
open/distance learning.
Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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*** Learning Is Critical to Your Success ***
Factiva offers a wide range of learning preferences to ensure that we
have the right tools to suit you. Expert-led face to face and online
sessions at introductory or advanced levels are conducted in cities
around the world. View the full schedule and register
<http://www.factiva.com/learningschedule>. Factiva Learning Programs,
a comprehensive collection of learning options.
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>>> VIP 3 and VIP Eye 4 <<<
VIP and VIP Eye review business information products and news
announcements. The latest editions provide an in-depth review
of ICC's Plum and Net Snippets, along with guest comment from
a senior information industry executive.
Find out more about VIP at <http://www.vivaVIP.com>
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FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Industry research has been the main topic of enquiry at the Bar in the
last two weeks. However, since most of the questions have been
answered satisfactorily, there seems little point in repeating them
here. So, here are a selection of unanswered or interesting items.
Last time we were talking about library uniforms, and this time its
information jobs. Employment in the information industry is being
sought all over the world, from the Netherlands
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27758> to Chile
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27729>. Nearer to home, here in
the UK, one job seeker just wants an employment break and has
received lots of support from other FreePinters
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27691>.
Even when you're in employment, there are plenty of other information
issues to make you scratch your head. Can you help someone wanting to
design a classification scheme
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27803> or another re-classifying
materials on the European Union
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27820>?
Pam Foster, Editor of business information publication VIP
<http://www.vivaVIP.com>, is asking about your preferred format for
receiving titles - electronic or paper?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27714>. The latest editions of VIP
Eye and VIP are also available, with the latter reviewing ICC's Plum
and Net Snippets <http://www.vivaVIP.com/vip/>.
Four of our top posters have submitted tips and questions of their own
to the Bar. One is looking for software to index words in document
files <http://www.freepint.com/go/b27774> whilst another is new
to the PRINCE2 project management system
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27713>. The third provides some
very useful tips on searching the FreePint site using Google
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27716> whilst the fourth
announces that the March edition of the ever popular 'Internet
Resources Newsletter' is now available
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27827>.
Many thanks to all our regulars.
William Hann <william.hann@freepint.com>
Managing Editor, FreePint
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The FreePint Bar is where you can get help with your tricky research
questions, for free! <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
Help with study for information-related courses is available at the
FreePint Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.
Twice-weekly email digests of the latest postings can be requested
at <http://web.freepint.com/>.
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*** KeepingLegal ***
Concerned about complying with the laws on copyright, data protection
or freedom of information? Subscribe to the free Information Law
Newsletter in order to keep abreast of developments and/or regularly
visit <http://www.KeepingLegal.com>
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FREEPINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
The FreePint Jobs Update is being circulated widely every two
weeks. This free newsletter now has 1,100 direct subscribers and
is posted at the Bar and in the Bar Digest (circulation 11,000).
To see the Jobs Update No.68 visit <http://www.freepint.com/go/b27853>
and to subscribe, modify your account at <http://web.freepint.com>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Content Management Coordinator
Great role for new grad seeking experience in managing content for a
web site.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3003>
Senior Information Specialist (Pharmaceutical)
Pharmaceutical/Healthcare or Banking/Insurance sector expertise?
Strategic/K.M./Senior Research vacancy for prestigious City client.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3037>
Archivist
Develop and coordinate Tearfund's archiving and records management
practices.
Recruiter: Tearfund
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3054>
NB: There are 34 other jobs in the current edition of the Jobs Update
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b27853>.
[The above jobs are paid listings]
FreePint Jobs -- the best place for information vacancies.
* VACANCY SEARCHING -- Free search and sign up to the Job Update.
* VACANCY RECRUITING -- Complete the form and advertise a vacancy
for just GBP195 <http://www.freepint.com/jobs/submit/overview.php3>.
50% discount for registered charities. 10% discount for agencies.
Find out more today at <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.htm#tips>
"Taking control of your PC"
By Peter Kaiser
When, as a consultant, I help people learn how to take meaningful
control over their PCs, I always begin with the same mantra, which
goes something like this:
"Contrary to the marketing propaganda and public consciousness,
personal computer software is complex and not easy to understand.
It is definitely NOT 'user-friendly'! Things often go wrong,
including freezes, crashes, and many varieties of
incomprehensibility, that are just not your fault. You're not
stupid. They're not your fault. Got that? They're not your
fault."
However, there are some rather simple systematic steps you can take to
make your PC more understandable, more reliable, much more secure, and
over all, less troublesome. It's partly a question of understanding
the software, and partly a matter of developing a small set of
practices and habits that most people never think about. In return
for the time it takes you to develop these, you can have a PC that
runs better, won't be invaded or infected, has fewer disasters, and
generally will tempt you much less often to blast it with a howitzer.
On this subject I definitely don't occupy an opinion-free zone! So,
while not claiming to be a perfect exemplar, let me tell you
something of how I deal with my own PC.
My overarching principle is to keep things simple. (Albert Einstein:
"Everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.") If
they're simple I can understand them. If I can understand them I can
usually control them and make the system do what I want. Doing this
often requires some effort up front, but the payoff is nearly
immediate and always visible.
For instance, my PC has two 120-gigabyte disks (it knocks me out to
have a quarter of a terabyte on my desktop!), which definitely makes
my life easier, because with this much disk space I can make frequent
full backups. I back up C: whenever I make any substantial change in
it, anything that would take substantial time to reproduce, like
installing a significant software package, e.g. a new version of my
favorite browser, Mozilla Firefox
<http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/>.
Nowadays it's a routine for me to:
1. Uninstall any previous version of the new software
2. Scan C: for viruses and worms and take any required action
3. Install the new software
4. Use the software to check that it works
5. Scan the partition for filesystem errors
6. Clean the junk from the partition (*.tmp, etc.)
7. Defragment C:
8. Make an image backup of C:
Does that seem like a lot of work? Not really: steps 1-4 are
absolutely necessary, of course, and steps 5 and 7 are something
everyone should do at least monthly or more often. That leaves
cleaning up the junk and making an image backup.
Okay, step 6 is optional - leave the junk if you like. Personally I
simply don't like to have it there. But I've also seen a system in
daily business use that had more than 30,000 *.TMP files more than a
year old in C:\Windows\Temp. Tsk, tsk.
But the image backup is crucial.
So what is an "image" backup? It's a copy - an "image" of an entire
partition encapsulated in a single file called an image file. Every
directory (folder) and file is inside there along with all its
attributes, and you can easily retrieve them.
But, and this is a huge BUT - you can also restore the entire partition
as of when you made the backup. Here you probably already see the
point, but I'll make it anyway: once you know you can restore a system
that you know is good, with software known to work the way you want it
to, you've become free to experiment and to make mistakes.
Experimenting, making mistakes and learning from them are the essence of
learning and taking control of your system. Kids have no fear of
this. We needn't either.
Suppose you want to try out some software. Do that. You like it?
Fine: keep it. You hate it? No problem: don't bother to go through
the pain of uninstalling it, under Windows you can seldom entirely
uninstall a package anyhow, and worse, some actually CAN'T be
uninstalled. Instead, just restore your latest image backup. I do
this all the time. Indeed, it's so easy that I often set aside a day
or two to try out several different packages that interest me, knowing
that when I'm done with the experiments, I can restore the system
without a trace of all those software installations. Sometimes I try
an installation several different ways to get exactly what I want,
restoring the clean system between installations. It's so simple to
take an image backup that I can experiment with different combinations
of software by making temporary backups along the way to repeat
different variations. So I can really find what works best for me.
The same goes if the worst happens and somehow your system does become
infected: just restore the latest uninfected image. "Latest"? On
one of my hard drives right now are my last twelve image backups,
though I have CDs of every backup. CDs are cheap, and if my disk dies
-- which happened to me once -- I'm still covered.
There are several reputable image backup packages, for instance,
PowerQuest Drive Image <http://www.symantec.com/driveimage/>; Symantec
Ghost <http://www.symantec.com/ghost/>; Acronis True Image
<http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/>, and perhaps others. They
differ from one another in details and ease of use, but they all do
the job and they're worth the money.
There's a lot more to taking control of your PC, but this is where it
begins for me: being free to experiment and learn.
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Peter Kaiser is a writer, editor, and IT consultant who lives in
Switzerland and once taught at the Columbia University School of
Library Science.
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Related FreePint links:
* 'Computer' articles and resources in the FreePint
Portal <http://www.freepint.com/go/p27>
* Post a message to the author, Peter Kaiser, or suggest further
resources at the FreePint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of FreePint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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>>> Willco at AIIP, Austin Texas, 29th April <<<
Willco, technology providers to FreePint and a number of
online communities, will be demonstrating their service at
the conference of the Association of Independent Information
Professionals (AIIP) in Austin, Texas, 29th April 2004.
<http://www.willco.com/aiip/>
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FREEPINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Recherche-Handbook - Wirtschafts-Informationen"
Written by Vorgehen, Quellen and Praxisbeispiele
Reviewed by Jeremy Williams
Anyone who has ever had to try and find information about German
private companies will know how hard it is. Anyone who reads this
book will not find out much more about this topic, but will receive an
excellent course in the basics of business intelligence.
The book, in summary, is a primer in how to go about finding the
information you are looking for, where you should look, and strategies
you should apply. Beyond this it contains in-depth descriptions of the
contents, costs, and use of the online databases Genios, GBI, Lexis-
Nexis, Dialog, Datastar, Profound, Factiva, FIZ and STN; and 76 pages
of other sources (addresses, Internet addresses, phone numbers),
including chambers of commerce, professional databases, supplier
databases, takeover directories, market briefings, associations,
country-based information sources, university dissertations,
libraries, and newsletters. FreePint gets two paragraphs and includes
the definition of "Pint" (Note to self: must conduct market study on
how many users of FreePint actually know this!). Most of the sources
are reviewed in a couple of paragraphs so you can see what you are
likely to find and how much it may cost.
The book is built up in logical sections relating to different kinds
of search and information source. Each topic is built from the ground
up, with practical examples. The text is interspersed with relevant
tips and the frequent use of tables and summaries helps the
readability. Each section begins with a summary of the subtopics to
allow the beginner to orient or subdivide the search for better
success.
The first section is about how to put questions in order to get
sensible answers, and how to build up a search strategy. The second
section deals with the major professional databases listed above, how
to use them (including a complete index of search commands and allowed
means of payment). The next four sections deal with the four mains
areas of research, namely: company information; market and sector
information; country information; and information about persons. All
are complemented by descriptions of suitable information
sources and how to go about using them. The next section describes the
use of newspapers, journals, books and dissertations in addition to
the sources already described. Section 8 deals with the important
sidebars of limitations of searches ("Why can't I find anything out
about ..."), documentation of your search, and copyright. Section 9
answers the question "How do I stay up to date now that I have done my
research?", and the last section is the (well-ordered) list of
information sources.
To put the spotlight on the German market for a moment, the book
confirms what we all suspected - all German company information is
based around the Creditreform <http://www.creditreform.de> standards
and you have to pay a few euros for it. Other than that the German
online databases (FIZ-Technik, Genios) are worthy competitors to the
better-known Lexis-Nexis and Factiva. But it'd be a poor book if
there was nothing new in it, and I consider that, apart from those
with long years of experience and really deep expertise, anyone will
be better armed for the search after reading the book. Let's hope it
gets translated into English soon.
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Jeremy Williams spent most of his career in the automotive supply
sector in engineering, marketing, and product management, before
setting up the 1835 Company in Paris with the aim of helping smaller
companies expand their markets and launch innovative products
<http://www.1835company.com>.
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Related FreePint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/recherche.htm>
* "Recherche-Handbook - Wirtschafts-Informationen" ISBN 3540442723,
published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the FreePint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Searching books on the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/searching.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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>>> Reach the largest community of information searchers <<<
Advertising with FreePint is the best way to reach
information searchers and purchasers around the world.
Find out more and request the ratecard at:
<http://www.freepint.com/advert.htm>
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/040304.htm#feature>
"Librarians and The War On Terror"
By Jonathan Crowhurst
In the wake of the World Trade Center attacks of September 11 2001,
George W. Bush signed into US law a piece of legislation which has
split library and information science (LIS) practitioners (and liberal
opinion) - 'The Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism' or USA
PATRIOT Act 2001 <http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html>.
The law also included a number of antiterrorism measures, but several
provisions in the Patriot Act (as it became known) are seen by many as
an attack on some of the fundamental rights enshrined in the US
Constitution <http://digbig.com/3tks>.
The US Patriot Act 2001 (USAPA 2001)
------------------------------------
There is a set of comprehensive links to full text of the legislation
itself and an excellent PowerPoint presentation on the Act, its
implications, and other related resources at <http://digbig.com/3tkr>.
The web site Taking Back America: USA Patriot Act and Civil Liberties
<http://www.lib.washington.edu/suzref/patriot-act/> has further
information on civil liberties issues.
Paul Sturgess wrote an excellent article in one of the CILIP Updates
on privacy <http://digbig.com/3tkt>, while the Guardian maintains an
excellent Internet freedom web site <http://digbig.com/3tkw>. Other
organisations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation
<http://www.eff.org> work to promote privacy and intellectual freedom
in cyberspace.
Over-reaction? Why are people so worked up? One would argue that 9/11
was a terrible event and further steps should be taken to prevent
terrorist outrages happening again. Others argue: "If you have nothing
to hide you have nothing to fear". Indeed, many in the US
Administration are at pains to point out the "benign" nature of the
Act.
A leading commentator in the American LIS community is Jessamyn West,
a Vermont-based librarian who maintains <http://www.librarian.net>, a
blog of LIS news and views. She has much to say on USAPA 2001 and my
email interview with her on this elucidates the concerns of some in
the profession. I would like to thank her for her time answering my
questions below.
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JC: What is it about USAPA that has the library community so concerned?
JW: Other than the basic curtailment of previously protected
liberties, there is also the introduction of librarians as people who
can get arrested and charged merely for refusing to comply with a
search warrant or ignoring or otherwise breaching the gag order
concerning their patrons. Under section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, if the
FBI come to your library and want to know what a patron has been
checking out, or even who has been checking out a particular book, not
only do you have to tell them, (which violates most patron
confidentiality policies in libraries), you also aren't legally
allowed to inform anyone that this happened, including the patron.
This seems to be an obvious violation of my right to free speech. It's
all cloak and dagger stuff, all the secrecy - and many librarians, but
by no stretch all, are against it. There are, indeed, many librarians
who see the PATRIOT Act as a perfectly legal way to fight terrorism.
JC: How has the War on Terror and the subsequent security legislation
in the US directly affected library workers and library patrons?
JW: I think its forced librarians to really take a look at their
privacy policies and patron confidentiality. So, for example,
libraries are considering the reasonableness of keeping patron
borrowing records once a book has been returned. Only requiring
initials on computer sign-up lists, that sort of thing. Overall,
there's a chilling effect. Patrons worry that their librarians may
have to rat on them, library workers worry that they may have to
choose between ratting on their patrons and going to jail. Everyone
has had to take a look at their personal moral feelings about the
issue.
My personal view is that I feel strongly that the PATRIOT Act is
extralegal and not really as useful for fighting terrorism as it is
for controlling citizens. If you were attracted to librarianship
because you love books, or love helping people and don't have a strong
civil liberties bent, then this may be a tough time for you to be a
librarian. I feel there is definitely some division in the profession
over this issue.
JC: What, to your knowledge, have been the worst abuses perpetuated
under the USA Patriot Act legislation by the federal authorities?
JW: The PATRIOT Act does a lot of stuff, not just to libraries. There
is the potential for wiretapping of public pay phones, secret grand
jury proceedings, collecting and keeping dossiers on foreign students,
etc. The point is, the USAPA authorizes all sorts of previously non-
legal assaults on civil liberties, plus it causes the justice
department to make websites like <http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/>, in
which my freedom-loving colleagues and I are told that we are
perpetuating myths about the act! My view is that at some level, the
fact that no abuses have yet been perpetuated doesn't mean it's not
bad legislation.
JC: Who are the main opponents of the legislation and why? Surely any
legislation preventing another 9/11 is a "good thing".
JW: If it's actually working to prevent terrorism, certainly. I think
that by its very nature it's pretty difficult to fight terrorism. It's
even tougher in a nation that has been accustomed to as many freedoms
as we have had. I guess my feeling is that the Constitution is in
place to guide us in times of crisis, not to be tossed out the window
in times of crisis. You look at what went in to 9/11 and it seemed to
be more of a failure of intelligence, a failure of government agencies
to cross-communicate, mostly based on funding issues. Many of the
hijackers were flagged with existing technology, by the existing
airport staff, and were allowed to board planes with then-legal items
in their carry-on luggage.
The PATRIOT Act won't stop people with a suicide wish from killing
others; it will only make the American population fearful of their
government as well as of terrorists. Legislation that actually
tightened up the holes in security might be a good idea. Foreign cargo
being checked - really non-glamorous stuff that has much more of an
impact on national security than knowing what books Muslims are
reading. But it would just require money and would not be very sexy,
so not enough people are doing it. It's like mad cow disease, it's
totally preventable with enough staffers to check beef, and with real
slaughterhouse hygiene, but that costs money and dips into profits so
no one wants to do it. What we really see is Americans loving freedom
but also businesses loving profits so that implementing real security,
which might scare away customers isn't even considered.
JC: How can civil liberties be balanced against legitimate security
concerns?
JW:
1. Agree the constitution is there for a reason
2. Give a sceptical American public a reason to want to work with the
government, not against them
3. Engage in real dialogue, free from rhetoric about security
concerns. Now that we have been getting all the news about Iraq not
having been a real threat to the US, I think people are really
sceptical of the government's ability to state risks clearly and
accurately. I'm not sure how you get that trust back.
4. Results, and not kangaroo court results. To me, the result you want
is the American people more free from fear, not just safer and
afraid. That would be a sign to me that whatever we were doing was
"working"
5. Define 'legitimate security concerns'. when you have federal agents
telling people to "be on the lookout for foreigners with almanacs",
it becomes tough to take anything they say seriously. That
credibility gap needs to be dealt with. Some people do not trust
Ashcroft (Attorney General) <http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/index.html>
and Cheney (Vice President)
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident/> and those are problems
the government should be addressing, not just speaking in the
language of fear.
JC: What is the LIS community doing to protest against this erosion of
some of the rights enshrined in your constitution?
JW: Public awareness is part of it. Letting our patrons know the
issues and how they can work to protect their own rights, as well as
allowing us to assist them. The Vermont Library Association sent out
packets to every public library letting them know what the PATRIOT Act
is and how to legally work within it strategically. The California
Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee
<http://digbig.com/3tkx> has been working closely with the ACLU
<http://www.aclu.org> to do more public awareness, etc. At some level
people need to know their rights are being abridged and they need to
let their elected officials know that they won't put up with it. I am
lucky to be in a state that has some fairly liberal Congressmen in
terms of the PATRIOT Act and we are continuing to work with them and
point out that it is NOT un-American to stick up for the constitution.
We also do programs at national and local library associations, work
with other public officials and business owners. Bookstores are also
in danger under the PATRIOT Act, they need to know the issues, before
the FBI come to their door.
JC: Should the library community, in the UK and elsewhere, be
concerned at what is happening in the US and how can we help?
JW: I think the more we communicate cross-culturally the more we get a
sense of what other people are up against, and maybe how they dealt
with the same things in the past. As librarians, I believe we have
some core values in terms of wanting to maintain and protect access to
information. I think it goes both ways, we should be working with the
UK library community to assist in their issues and problems and the
reverse is also true.
Some of the best commenting on these issues have come from the British
press - BBC <http://digbig.com/3tky> and the Economist
<http://www.economist.com>. Encouraging Americans to get news from
other countries as well as seeing how the US press is covering the
issues can be very enlightening.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jonathan is reading an MA in Library and Information Studies at City
University. His research interests include information law, library
history and development, legal information, user studies and the
impact of the internet on libraries. Contact him at
<jonathan@crowhurst0277.freeserve.co.uk>, or see him on the web at
<http://www.jonathancrowhurst.net>.
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