It was my understanding that libraries destroy records of patrons' activity as soon as the books are returned. Nonetheless, this is an interesting Federal fishing expedition, with warrants issued by secret courts, and criminal penalties for librarians who talk too much. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-attacks-libraries... ----- By CHRISTOPHER NEWTON Associated Press Writer June 25, 2002, 1:40 AM EDT WASHINGTON -- Across the nation, FBI investigators are quietly visiting libraries and checking the reading records of people they suspect of being in league with terrorists, library officials say. The FBI effort, authorized by the anti-terrorism law enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, is the first broad government check of library records since the 1970s, when prosecutors reined in the practice for fear of abuses. A Justice Department official in the civil rights division and FBI officials declined to comment Monday, except to note that such searches are now legal under the Patriot Act that President Bush signed last October. Libraries across the nation were reluctant to discuss their dealings with the FBI. The same law that makes the searches legal also makes it a criminal offense for librarians to reveal the details or extent of the contact. ... -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"