Book description
Imagine receiving a subpoena requiring patron records or Internet use
history. What is your library's policy? Do you know? Does your library
have a policy? How big a problem is this? Because libraries are on the
front lines of patron privacy and confidentiality controversies that
raise First Amendment questions, it is increasingly critical that
libraries and their counsel become familiar with the constitutional
rights of patrons. By understanding the issues and the relevant laws,
librarians can take action to protect users' First Amendment rights. In
this clear and concise guide set up in a frequently-asked-questions
(FAQ) format, First Amendment attorney and litigation expert Chmara
shares her decades of experience in easy-to-understand, jargon-free
language. Library directors and managers as well as lawyers who
represent libraries will learn What First Amendment rights exist in
libraries How to create a library policy to best protect patrons'
confidentiality and privacy The appropriate responses to requests for
patron records How to deal with the nuances of Internet use privacy
Interspersed within the questions and answers, actual court case studies
lend a sense of urgency to the explanations. Covering circulation and
Internet use records, along with the role of the library as employer,
this guide is librarians' first line of defense of the First Amendment.
“A valuable resource for any library and their lawyers, this
easy-to-read guide presents questions and answers, actual court cases
that illustrate the significance of these issues, and guidelines for
creating ones own policies.” Theresa Chmara, a partner with the
Washington, D. C. office of Jenner & Block, has extensive experience
counseling clients on First Amendment issues. She has led numerous
sessions in Lawyers for Libraries training institutes and has
represented the American Library Association, the Freedom to Read
Foundation, and the American Booksellers Association on free speech
issues. She is a 1988 cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law
Center.
