"Terror Reading"

[Joseph Ashwood]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Cordian" <emc at artifact.psychedelic.net>

> 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.

I can tell you that at least in some areas that is simply not the case. I
have personal experience with the San Jose City library and know this for a
fact to be incorrect. They store information since the last upgrade of the
central database, currently the better part of a decade, but coming up on a
cycle point. Although it is very difficult to get the information, and large
portions of even that have been lost through various issues.

That is just a single area, but it seems reasonable that most
cities/counties/schools would follow the same general principle. Of course
with the lax way the information is kept it takes nearly a week to recover
the list of books you've checked out in the last month that have been
returned (unless there are penalties), so there is some saving grace to the
system.
                    Joe