Library Records Could be Accessed by Feds

Civil liberties groups say the Patriot Act is used to target personal records, including library records, of ordinary people. But the Federal Government says its a necessary tool needed to weed out terrorists. News Four Arkansas`s Dave Jordan has the story. Bart Dorsey`s love for literature began at an early age. "We used to come to the library a lot when i was a kid, " says Bart Dorsey, an avid reader."We came to the readings where the librarians would read to you." But a measure to weed out terrorists by searching through library records has Bart seeing red. "Most of the terrorists are not going to be going to the library to check out books," he says. "They`ll have their own books somewhere or else they`re going to get it off the internet." Now many libraries will tell the public the books they are checking out could be checked out by the Feds.But Central Arkansas Library Director Bobby Roberts has decided not to inform the public. "It`s going to have a chilling effect on people using the library or it could have," Roberts says. But Rita Sklar, executive director for the A-C-L-U says this law gives the Government too much power and is shrouded in secrecy. "Anybody who is being told by the Department of Justice or the FBI that they need records can not tell anybody ever," Sklar says. " That includes not only the person whose records are being searched, but also their supervisor and supposedly, not even their attorney. And all Bart wants to do is read a book without worrying about the Government looking over his shoulder. "I think they`ve stepped too far and the things they`re looking for are not neccesarry things that will find terrorists," he says. Last year, more than a million books are checked out of libraries in Central Arkansas. --Filed by Dave Jordan