YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND YOUR PERSONAL PRIVACY by Michael E. Marotta <mercury@well.sf.ca.us> Generally speaking, librarians are very sensitive to the issues surrounding privacy. As a rule, they protect the privacy of their patrons and they especially resist law enforcement requests for information about anyone's reading habits. There are some exceptions. A librarian can be coersed or cajoled into releasing privileged information. Unless they are very sure of their principles, an effective police interrogator will break down their resistance. Possible ploys run from pleas for professional assistance in criminal cases to good cop/bad cop. Here in Michigan, we have 455 MPA 1982, "The Michigan Library Privacy Act." In a recent case involving a librarian I met, the sheriff harassed the staff at a small, rural library. They refered him to her. She told him that her hands were tied: she was forbidden by law from doing what he asked. He went away. I have heard of other librarians in other states going to jail, having no law to fall back on. Also, here in Livingston County, we have MANUAL cards. You write your name. I can look at any book and see who read it. This is a violation of the law. Since no remedies obtain, I can't get a lawyer interested. My protest to the library was met with "We are changing. It will take some time." Furthermore, when working onsite at a Ford Motor Company plant in Louisville, I discoverd that the Shelby County Library also relies on hand- written checkout cards. However, here in Fowlerville, the librarian instituted card numbers several years ago, so our village of 3,000 is in compliance. Is yours?