A Proud American (via kuro5hin.org) writes:

“It used to be a librarian would be pictured with a book,” said Ms. Snider, the branch manager, slightly exasperated as she hunched over the wastebasket. “Now it is a librarian with a shredder.”

Librarians in America, specifically those in Santa Cruz, California, have resorted to shredding nearly all documents or records of any sort in order to counter the United States’ new Patriot Act (EFF critique), a law passed after 9/11 which significantly broadened the federal authorities’ ability to tap into public information in the name of anti-terrorism.

Many libraries have begun distributing leaflets to visitors which detail their objections to the increased F.B.I. power and explain that librarians are in the process of reviewing their files to ensure that any and all data they have about borrowing and computer usage histories is absolutely necessary to their operation.

(Mon Apr 7th, 2003 at 02:30:40 PM EST)