For Immediate Release

April 11, 2007

Contact: Judith Platt
Ph: 202-220-4551
Email: jplatt@publishers.org

AAP Applauds Senate Testimony by ‘John Doe’ Librarian

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) joined with organizations representing librarians, booksellers and authors, in applauding the testimony presented this afternoon by one of the four “John Doe” librarians from Connecticut who successfully challenged an abusive FBI National Security Letter.

In a powerful statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights, George Christian, the executive director of the Library Connection, called on Congress to  reconsider the USA PATRIOT Act and to restore reader privacy safeguards and other civil liberties that have been seriously compromised by the Act.  The hearings, chaired by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), were scheduled in the wake of revelations by the Inspector General of the Justice Department that the NSL authority has been routinely and widely abused by the FBI. 

"Our saga should raise a big patriotic American flag of caution about how our civil liberties are being sorely tested by law enforcement abuses of national security letters,” Christian said. “We want you to take special note of the uses and abuses of NSLs in libraries and bookstores, and other places where higher First Amendment standards should be considered."

AAP has been working through the Campaign for Reader Privacy (a joint initiative with the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and PEN American Center) to restore reader privacy protections stripped away by the USA Patriot Act. 

AAP President Pat Schroeder said: “Thanks to the personal and professional courage of four Connecticut librarians, Congress and the American people now understand what it’s like to live under an NSL gag order—to literally have your right to free speech taken away.  Finally, George Christian has been able to tell Congress their story.  Now it’s time for the 110th Congress to do what the 109th failed to do: restore reader privacy protections and civil liberties safeguards to the Patriot Act.”

The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s approximately 300  members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, post-secondary and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software and electronic products and services.  The Association represents an industry whose very existence depends upon the free exercise of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

To read George Christian's entire statement click here.