Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!kurt
From: kurt@think.com (Kurt Thearling)
Subject: Re: Lifestyle Information (Library Records)
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.154841.15621@Think.COM>
Sender: news@Think.COM
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
References: <Yc17Uk091EAf0UUpBn@rchland.ibm.com> <E483E4F@taronga.hackercorp.com> <1991Apr17.215136.5150@hobbit.gandalf.ca>
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 91 15:48:41 GMT

In article <1991Apr17.215136.5150@hobbit.gandalf.ca> alayne@hobbit.gandalf.ca (Alayne McGregor) writes:
>
>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.
>

This reminds me of something I saw while visiting the library at St. Johns
college a few years ago.  They didn't have computer records but still used
the "card in the back of the book" system.  After the books were returned,
the librarian took one of those gold color pens (the kind that have metal
in a solvent) and covered over the name of the last person who borrowed the
book. I asked her about this and she said that they were trying to prevent
people from finding out who previously borrowed a book (supposedly the gold
pen was the only one that obliterated the name to their satisfaction).

But, the reason they were doing this was that they had heard that a wife
introduced into evidence in her divorce hearing the fact that her husband
had been planning on divorcing her for some time (I'm not sure exactly how
this affected the divorce).  She found out this info by looking at their
local library and noticing that her husband had been checking out books on
divorce for the past six months.

Recently I saw on television a story of a woman who was involved with a
case of over-the-counter drug tampering.  One of the pieces of evidence
used against her were fingerprints in books on poison.  I'm not sure if she
was listed in the circulation records.

kurt
