j's scratchpad

The buzz on many blogs about librarianship surrounds a recent report by the FBI that terrorists might be using almanacs to get information to plot their next terrorist attack. Therefore, we should all be on the lookout for people with almanacs and report any suspicious activity.

As much as we should take these reports (ahem) seriously, it was difficult for me to read the Associated Press article without laughing. I couldn’t help thinking that some government official looked at an almanac for the first time and realized that it contains useful information.What’s next: are we supposed to put almanacs in locked cases and only let patrons borrow them with proper IDs or withdraw them from the collection? The editors of two popular almanacs quoted in the article point out that information in their publications is widely available in other sources. Let’s hope the government doesn’t resort to banning these useful materials out of fear that terrorists will use the information to plan their activities.

“The FBI noted that use of almanacs or maps may be innocent, ‘the product of legitimate recreational or commercial activities.’ But it warned that when combined with suspicious behavior — such as apparent surveillance — a person with an almanac ‘may point to possible terrorist planning.’”

“It’s stuff that’s widely available on the Internet,” said an editor of a popular almanac.

Next: The FBI warns us to watch out for people using the Internet.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2003 at 6:52 am and is filed under Librarianship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.