We Can’t All Be Rock Stars: Reaching a Mass Audience with the Message of Library Privacy

Abstract

Are library privacy rights under assault again?Possibly. A new administration in Washington is sending signals that heavy-handed federal guidelines concerning library data may be on the way again. After the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington DC, a group of librarians known as the Connecticut Four stood up to onerous provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act, a brave feat but one of relative anonymity.In this new era, do libraries need a face or a campaign to elevate the fight for privacy in the eyes of the general public? This paper will argue "yes," and conclude with some thought on how such a campaign might manifest itself.