Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Christian Stalberg" <cpsr_rtp AT internet-lab.com>]

The Freedom to Read: Does the Patriot Act Compromise Your Rights?

The Wake County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the
NCSU Libraries are cosponsoring a panel discussion on the USA Patriot Act
(PL 107-56) on Tuesday, February 10, 2004. The event, entitled "The Freedom
to Read: Does the Patriot Act Compromise Your Rights?," will be held in the
D. H. Hill Library Assembly Room (second floor, East Wing, in the Learning
and Research Center for the Digital Age), from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event
is free and open to the public.

The panel will be moderated by Clay Stalnaker, a Wake County ACLU board
member and retired faculty member from NC State University. The panelists
are Ross Holt (past president of the N.C. Library Association and head of
reference at the Randolph County Public Library), Peggy Hoon (J.D.,
scholarly communication librarian, NCSU Libraries), Anne Klinefelter (J.D.,
associate director of the Law Library and clinical assistant professor of
law, UNC-Chapel Hill), Tom Moore (director of Wake County Public Libraries),
and Christian Stalberg (chair of RTP Chapter of Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility).

The USA Patriot Act, passed rapidly at the end of October 2001 in response
to the events of September 11, broadly expands law enforcement's
surveillance and investigative powers. The American Library Association
believes that these expansions "increase the likelihood that the activities
of library users, including their use of computers to browse the Web or
access email, may be under government surveillance without their knowledge
or consent."

Panelists will look at key issues and give substantial background while
focusing on the questions the USA Patriot Act raises for librarians,
bookstore owners, computer professionals, and the concerned populace about
privacy laws and the right of individuals in the U.S. to read freely. They
will also discuss strategies that libraries have implemented for coping with
the terms of the act.

The D. H. Hill Library is located on the NC State Brickyard, near the
intersection of Hillsborough and Gardner streets, across from the Wachovia
Bank building. It is wheelchair accessible. For additional information about
the panel discussion, call (919) 513-2046 before 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday.


Location: D. H. Hill Library Assembly Room, NCSU campus
Raleigh NC
Event cost: free