Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!hobbit.gandalf.ca!alayne
From: alayne@hobbit.gandalf.ca (Alayne McGregor)
Subject: Re: Lifestyle Information (Library Records)
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.215136.5150@hobbit.gandalf.ca>
Organization: Gandalf Data Ltd., Nepean, Ontario
References: <Yc17Uk091EAf0UUpBn@rchland.ibm.com> <E483E4F@taronga.hackercorp.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1991 21:51:36 GMT
Lines: 16

In article <E483E4F@taronga.hackercorp.com> peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>Homosexuality is
>against the law in some states: should a bookstore sell lists of people who
>bought "suspect" books to the local law enforcement agencies?

More to the point: the automated circulation systems used by most
larger university/college and public libraries could be used to track
and profile readers of certain types of "suspect" books.

Librarians are very aware of this problem; the vendors of these systems
generally ensure that once a book is returned (and any fines are paid),
that the connection between book and patron is severed. Only the fact
that the book was taken out n times is saved.

Alayne McGregor
alayne@gandalf.ca
