Statement Allows Booksellers' Customer Privacy Concerns to Be Heard in Washington

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is asking all ABA bookstore members to add their store name to the growing list of those endorsing the Book and Library Community Statement Supporting The Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157); The Library and Bookseller Protection Act (S. 1158); and The Library, Bookseller, and Personal Data Privacy Act (S. 1507). The statement will be used to garner further Congressional support for the bills, which seek to protect the privacy of bookstore and library patrons' records jeopardized by Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

The statement and current signatories are posted at www.bookweb.org/read/6565. A password-protected form, accessed by a click-through at the bottom of the statement, enables booksellers to submit their store's endorsement. Store names, arranged by state, will be added to the online statement. Booksellers who do not already have a BookWeb.org User Name and Password can create one by clicking here. (An ABA ID number is required.)

(For a previous article on the Book and Library Community Statement, click here.)