--- Forwarded Message from Jim Hogg <[log in to unmask]> --- >Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 15:40:00 -0400 >From: Jim Hogg <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: #7135.12 lab attendance tracking (!) >In-reply-to: <[log in to unmask]> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]> ------------------ > I forgot to mention another issue that also turned us from this... > there isn't a library in the free world that will report to a third > party just who has materials checked out (well, at least they > shouldn't). Unless the third party is the government of the United States. Part of the Patriot Act made into law after the attacks on 9/11/01 allows the government to get checkout information from libraries. In fact if they are investigating a library patron, a librarian cannot disclose to anyone that the patron is being investigated. By third party were you excluding the government? I wonder if language centers would be considered as libraries in this sense. The FBI may very well be interested in Arabic language students. That would be reason enough not to have tracking information associated with a particular individual in my opinion. I hadn't even thought about this before. Very interesting.