UK Librarians Take Stand
The Independent
May 09, 2008
In a move that echoes President Bush's post-9/11 Patriot Act, UK police forces are asking librarians and booksellers for the reading records of those they see as suspicious. Inevitably, requests are highest in areas with a significant Muslim population but Ayub Khan, head of Warwickshire's library services, believes that forces "right across the country" have put in requests - for books and also websites visited. The Home Office shrugs off complaints, saying this is a matter for individual police authorities and is just "another form of enquiry". The revelation comes alongside the release of draft guidelines on what is termed "controversial stock". Happily, librarians are preparing to take a firm stand, with one pointing out that "public libraries are one of the last public spaces where people don't have to justify themselves".
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Copyright 2008 by The Independent
