(U-WIRE) STORRS, Conn. - The recently enacted USA PATRIOT Act is being criticized by many, who say it infringes on peoples' privacy.

The act allows the government to view records of people who have checked books out of libraries.

An acronym for "Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism," the USA PATRIOT Act is several hundred pages long and is aimed at helping law enforcement to investigate suspected terror activities with haste.

President George W. Bush, along with Attorney General John Ashcroft, advocated the new law immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"This legislation is essential not only to pursuing and punishing terrorists, but also preventing more atrocities in the hands of the evil ones," Bush said, according to White House speech transcripts. "This bill was met with an overwhelming ÷ overwhelming agreement in Congress, because it upholds and respects the civil liberties guaranteed by our Constitution." The PATRIOT Act was rushed, and Congress passed the legislation on Oct. 24, 2001.

Not everyone agrees with the president's assessment of the legislation.

One part of the Act allows FBI agents to request "tangible" items such as books, records, papers and other documents, including materials checked out of libraries or purchased from bookstores if it is believed that this information may protect the country from terrorism.

Just as was needed before the Act was passed, the FBI needs a search warrant from a judge in order to obtain this information. However, under the new law, the warrant is obtained through a secret court. After the information is gathered, a gag order is imposed on the librarian, meaning he or she cannot tell anyone, including the patron being investigated and superior employees, anything about the search.

"The debate over the USA PATRIOT Act is very important to libraries," Peter Murray, director of Library Information Technology Services at the University of Connecticut, said. "I'm concerned that some of the aspects of the PATRIOT Act run counter to the ethics in library protection."

Libraries across the nation are responding in different ways to the legislation. At the University of Connecticut, Murray said the library leadership is reviewing its policy on patron privacy.

Murray said he is also conducting a study on behalf of the Association of Research Libraries and its 168 members.

Murray said questions will include: "What policies do [libraries] have in place to protect patron information? How are those policies communicated to the patrons?"

The survey was to go out to the membership in late April or early May, and the results will be compiled over the summer, he said. The Mansfield Library Advisory Board recently sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd, and Connecticut sens. Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, voicing concerns over the law. The letter questions the constitutionality of the act.