The Bookseller.com

20th November 2008

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CILIP plays down library scrutiny

31.07.08 Benedicte Page

Of the library services responding to a recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), 75% confirmed that they had received enquiries from the police or a security agency during the past 18 months.

The survey showed that enquiries have included a number of “fishing” queries, some aimed at flushing out a terrorist threat.

But CILIP senior policy advisor Barbara Stratton played down concerns about an orchestrated policy of library scrutiny: “We’re pleased that there doesn’t seem to be a widespread problem. There are some local issues from time to time, and mistakes made by personnel on the ground, but not a campaign of surveillance. But it is clear that police are much more aware of what services libraries will offer and want to make enquiries. This is legitimate if the law is followed, and in most cases it is.”

CILIP circulated its questionnaire to 640 library services in England, Scotland and Wales last month, following concerns voiced by librarians that anti­terror inquiries were threatening the library’s traditional role as a neutral community space. Fifty-five of those who were sent the survey (8.5%) responded, including both public and academic libraries.

Three-quarters of the respondents reported receiving police and security agency queries concerning criminal, terrorist, pornographic, paedophilic or other matters. Most had received three or fewer queries, but six of the respondents had experienced more than eight incidents during the period surveyed. A total of 9% of the 134 queries were confirmed as relating to terrorism.

The great majority of respondents (70%) believed that proper police procedure had been followed during the enquiries, but eight library services said it had not, and five reported incidents of “fishing”. One library service said it was asked to supply details of what its Muslim members were reading, while another was asked to supply information on websites visited.

One library said there had been an enquiry about library policy on internet use, adding: “The officer enquiring spoke to one of my colleagues and said his particular interest was extremist religious sites. He asked that we contacted him directly with any incidences of this nature, should we ever get any.”

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