NEWS IS IT LEGAL? LIBRARIES low-income people and to learn who Worcester County Commission- Santa Cruz, California was using the libraries geographically. ers praised Worcester County Library How serious was the breach of patron Under state law, organizations Director Jennifer Ranck for putting privacy at the Santa Cruz Public typically have ninety days to respond safety first when deciding not to pro- Library (SCPL)? to grand jury reports. They are not, ceed with a lecture on impeaching The Santa Cruz County Grand however, required to implement any the president in an area where he has Jury (which is part of the civil court of the suggested changes. widespread support. system, and has no power to issue Prior to release of the grand jury The lecture was part of a series on criminal indictments, only reports report, SCPL had stopped using Gale the Constitution hosted by Howard and recommendations) said that SCPL Analytics on Demand, and reworked Sribnick, the president of the Worces- from 2016 through 2018 used a data its privacy policy. Reported in: ter County Library Foundation and a analysis tool from Gale Analytics co.santa-cruz.ca.us, June 24, 2019; former Worcester County Democratic on Demand that may have violated Register-Panjaronian, June 28. Central Committee chairman. It was patron privacy policies. A grand jury scheduled for Wednesday, March report issued on June 24, 2019, enti- Boise, Idaho 6, 2019, at the Worcester County tled Patron Privacy at Santa Cruz Public How much content will be blocked Library’s Berlin branch. Libraries, said the software blended for Wi-Fi users in Idaho’s public The Main Street Patriots East- patron data with other data from libraries when a new internet filtering ern Shore, Maryland, started a cam- Experian Mosaic. law takes effect next year? paign on Facebook on Friday, March With more than three hundred In early April 2019, Republican 1, posting a caption above an article pieces of additional consumer data per Governor Brad Little signed into law entitled, “America’s Second Civil War patron, “the library holds significantly legislation that adds publicly accessible Has Already Begun.” They wrote, more household-level data in its com- wireless internet to a law that requires “How many of you local folks will be puter system than patrons originally libraries to filter access on their inter- at the Berlin library on Wednesday provided,” the Grand Jury reported. net services so that obscene and por- . for the primer (hosted by Dem- The information was used to help the nographic material can’t be accessed. ocrats of course) on how to either library’s long-term strategic planning, The amendment is intended to impeach Trump or remove him from but the program was inconsistent with prevent minors from using personal office via the 25th Amendment? They SCPL’s privacy policy, and library laptops, tablets, smartphones, or other will collude and conspire to take administrators did not inform library devices to access pornographic sites. away your vote (Trump won here in patrons that it was being used, and did Previously, the law only dealt with Worcester County by almost a 2 to 1 not seek their consent, according to publicly accessible computers. The margin), will you be there to stand up the grand jury report. new law goes into effect on July 1, for the truth?” The report also found that library 2020. “Someone should take them out,” administrators did not review the Officials say public libraries will another person commented. contract provided by Gale Analytics have to update their policies, and that The session was canceled. “When on Demand, and found the contract up to 35 rural libraries might need people threatened to disrupt the pre- “unclear” and lacking in language that to install equipment. The estimated sentation, we thought that would raise protects patrons. cost is up to $2,500 per library, but a safety issue for those who may be SCPL Director Susan Nemitz said possibly much less depending on the trying to attend the program, or just the software was intended to help the type of system. Reported in: Associated those who were using the library at library system focus its programs and Press, April 8, 2019. that particular time on that particular services. day,” Ranck said in an interview. “Because we collect so little data Worcester County, Nearly three weeks later, some about our patrons it can help us bet- Maryland of the commissioners brought up ter understand them,” she said. “A lot Should a lecture on the US Consti- the incident when she appeared at of libraries have embraced this in a tution at a public library be cancelled Worcester County Commission’s big way.” Nemitz said that the library when critics calling themselves patri- meeting on March 26 on an unrelated used the program to study whether ots threaten violence? library funding issue. They thanked it was reaching people of color and Ranck and the library board for acting JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND PRIVACY _ SUMMER 2019 38 IS IT LEGAL? _ NEWS “professionally” during “the situation Licking County Library Director May 21, 2019, June 1; CityBeat Cincin- down at the library.” Reported in: Babette Wofter said she canceled the nati, June 1; cleveland.com, June 2. Ocean City Times, March 29, 2019. “Galaxy of Diversity” event because it became too difficult for the organi- Austin, Texas Columbus, Newark, and zation to control the misinformation When should police be called on Delaware County, Ohio circulating about it. teenagers in a public library, and can Was it wrong for two Ohio pub- The Newark County Pride Coa- library staff find another way to inter- lic libraries to give in to pressure and lition, which was co-sponsoring the vene rather than having a 13-year-old withdraw their support for events “Galaxy of Diversity” event, stated arrested in front of younger children? focusing on drag queen and LGBTQ in an open letter of its own that the Njera Keith, a teacher at an alter- (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, event was meant to be an arts and native school that holds some of its and queer) culture, or wrong for them crafts project and safe-sex educational classes in the Carver Branch of the to schedule such events in the first program, with only an “optional Austin Public Library, said she was place? make-up tutorial.” The coalition entering the library with a six-year- The Delaware County Library asked Householder to respect the old student when they saw a police had scheduled “Drag Queen 101” for civil liberties of Newark residents, officer patting down thirteen-year-old Wednesday, June 5, 2019. The library noting that the US Supreme Court LaTashia Milligam. The teenager was said several teens had requested a has affirmed the freedoms of speech handcuffed and had no shoes on. class focused on the theatrical craft of and expression for the LGBTQ Keith said her young student drag performances. Selena T. West, a community. immediately began shaking. “She’s well-known drag queen from Colum- Householder dismissed the con- shocked that this little girl that we bus, was to be the instructor for the cerns about free speech. “Let me be were just interacting with is now in workshop. crystal clear: This isn’t about ban- handcuffs,” she said. But library director George Need- ning books or banning thought or According to library staff, LaTashia ham announced on May 29 that the any other red herring argument,” was arrested for an existing war- event was canceled after the library he wrote. “This is about right and rant, after the parent of another stu- received threatening messages, some wrong. This is about being good dent called police and accused her of from outside the area. The sponsors stewards of the public’s money.” threatening to attack her daughter. moved the event to a privately-owned The Newark coalition noted that Keith, who is also the execu- bookstore nearby called Secret Iden- no public money would have been tive director of an advocacy group tity Comics. used for the program, which would called Black Sovereign Nation, said Elsewhere in the same state at have taken place after library hours authorities should never have been nearly the same time, the Emerson R. and would have been funded by a called. Instead, a staff member or Miller library in Newark, in Ohio’s non-governmental grant. other responsible adult should have Licking County, scheduled “Galaxy of A group of House Democrats from intervened. After the incident, Black Diversity: A LGBTQ Teen Event” for Central Ohio, in a news release, called Sovereign Nation members tried to Friday, June 7. A powerful Republican Householder’s comments “unfortu- speak with library staff to address con- politician, Ohio House Speaker Larry nate.” The Democrats’ statement said, cerns about library policies regarding Householder, issued an open letter “the promise of America is . we all minors. When they finally did, there on May 31 stating, “Taxpayers aren’t agree to let everyone have their voice. was no consensus about how to move interested in seeing their hard-earned That is certainly true for the nearly forward. dollars being used to teach teenage 500,000 LGBTQ Ohioans.” Austin Public Library policy states boys how to become drag queens. I West, who led the Delaware Coun- that children under ten cannot be expect this to end immediately.” His ty’s “Drag Queen 101,” said the left unsupervised in the library unless letter did not name any libraries, but a June 5 class went even better than accompanied by someone who’s at spokesperson confirmed that House- expected.