Librarians Crying Foul to Patriot Act: John Ashcroft Says FBI Isn’t Looking At Library Records
By Archived Story
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In the height of the McCarthy era, beat poet Allen Ginsberg asked, “America, why are your libraries full of tears?” It was intended to be a metaphor for American history books lining library shelves. However, Ginsberg probably couldn’t foresee what his metaphor would mean 50 years later.Since the USA Patriot Act was passed in October 2001, librarians across the country haven’t been telling people to stay quiet with the snap of a ruler. They’ve become one of the country’s most outspoken critics of the act.“Libraries don’t try to stand in the way of law enforcement,” said Eric Celeste, Associate University Librarian for Information Technology. “But I think, personally, and in our organizations like the American Library Association (ALA), we vigorously oppose laws like the Patriot Act, which we think interfere with the kind of free-flow …



