Biblioteket i terrorns tid : en studie av hur the USA Patriot act har påverkat tre amerikanska bibliotek

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to study what impact the USA Patriot act has had on American libraries. The authors intent has been to see what changes have occurred in the librarians work-routines and to study their attitudes toward the Patriot act. The authors have also intended to find out what the consequences would be for the libraries. The findings are related to Swedish circumstances. The material used in this thesis consists of six interviews conducted at three libraries in the Bay Area in California. Also included are materials concerning organizations which have an impact on either the Patriot act and/or the American libraries. Three surveys from University of Illinois are used for reference. The Swedish material consists of information concerning Swedish libraries in general. The results show that no major changes have occurred in the libraries where the interviews took place. What is apparent is that the libraries and librarians have taken a stand against the Patriot act. The actions taken in the three libraries have all strived to secure the privacy of the patrons. The interviewed librarians are all opposed to the Patriot act. They believe there is a conflict between the library s mission and the law. They also feel that the Patriot act violates the rights of library-users. The librarians in the study fear that library-users might not feel secure enough to use the library if the current situation doesn t change. This is also the opinion of the authors. Two of the librarians see positive consequences in that the libraries have received more attention because of the Patriot act. In Sweden it is possible for law enforcement-agencies to compromise patron privacy using existing legislation. The authors feel that Swedish libraries could benefit from an increased discussion about library ethics and patron privacy.