From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2015 18:06:41 -0600

Like many other publishers, I (as then director of Penn State
University Press) opposed the Patriot Act provisions that allowed the
government to snoop through our files and databases to go on fishing
expeditions to find any information they thought might be relevant to
a national security issue.  What was especially troublesome is that I,
as director, would not be allowed to inform or consult the
university's counsel or my own boss if such a search were conducted.
Librarians were among the most outspoken in opposition to these
Patriot Act provisions.

Sandy Thatcher


> From: Ann Shumelda Okerson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2015 17:17:39 -0500
>
> Dear Readers:  On Friday at the Charleston Conference, we were
> privileged to hear a great panel (Gary Price, Bill Hannay, Lisa
> Macklin) on the topic of privacy.  With luck, those who couldn't
> attend may get to hear or read the presentations as a post-conference
> service.
>
> At the end of the session, during Q&A, the panel posed a question to
> publishers and other information providers in the audience: is privacy
> a concern for your organization?  Is it a priority?  Unfortunately,
> nary a publisher spoke up:  either no publishers attended this plenary
> session (Charleston is a meeting where lots of off-meeting networking
> happens) or else this wasn't a question that could be answered
> spontaneously.
>
> So -- we bring it to you as readers of liblicense-l, where you've time to
> think and formulate an answer.  Are privacy issues a priority for
> information providers?   For all?  Mainly for those who create certain
> types of materials or do certain types or marketing?  Are
> organizational resources being devoted to this matter?  Do publishers
> read the privacy policies of their library customers?  Are they
> current on FERPA and other developments?  Are there areas that can be
> addressed by publishers, vendors, librarians working together?
>
> Speak up, so we can all benefit from additional thoughts!   Ann Okerson