Hi. For your enjoyment, here are the copies of my letter to the New York Times as it appeared in my outbox, and as it appeared in print today. I'm pretty much done with this issue, but it's fascinating how, according to the Times, my very own originals are now just "variations" of what they printed. Also note the non-capitalization of their version of the Act's name, as if it really has something to do with patriotism, instead of being an atrocious acronym.

from my outbox

I was thrilled to see the text to three of my "Five *Technically* Legal Signs for Your Library" listed in a sidebar to Subversive Reading [Sep 28 '03]. As you know, the USA PATRIOT Act makes it difficult if not impossible to legally protect patron confidentiality. The associated gag order also means that librarians cannot inform their patrons if their personal information has been requested and provided. My signs are a way to end-run the gag order by allowing the library to provide the perfectly legal information that the FBI has not been there ... yet.

Variants of these signs are in use in libraries across the country. They have been sent as part of an intellectual freedom packet to every public library in Vermont. The ACLU has even come out with their own variety. While I think their impact is strengthened by their visual appeal over their raw text, I invite your readers to see them for themselves at

http://www.librarian.net/technicality.html

from the paper

I was thrilled to see the text to three of my "Five ‘Technically' Legal Signs for Your Library" listed in a sidebar to Margaret Talbot's essay (The Way We Live Now, Sept. 28). The Patriot Act makes it difficult to legally protect patron confidentiality. The associated gag order also means that librarians cannot inform patrons if their personal information has been requested and provided. My signs are a way to end-run the gag order by allowing the library to provide the perfectly legal information that the F.B.I. has not been there . . . yet.

Readers can see variations of the signs at librarian.net/technicality.html.