ALA Annual heats up Chicago: hot-button topics--the Patriot Act, censorship--ignite 2005 conference.(slj news)

There was the famous Chicago skyline, a shimmering ribbon of glass and steel. And the Cubs and White Sox were engaged in a heated crosstown rivalry. But the urge to take in the sights was blunted by near record-breaking heat that blanketed Chicago as more than 27,000 library professionals converged upon the city for the 2005 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference. From June 23-29, attendees feasted on 2,000 sessions at venues that ranged from the McCormick Convention Center on one end of town to the Sheraton and Hilton hotels at the other.

Standing front and center at the event was the pressing issue of intellectual freedom and the Patriot Act's impact on library patrons' privacy. On June 25, ALA released its preliminary study revealing that more than 130 libraries have been approached by law enforcement officials seeking records. Attorney Tom Sussman explained how certain provisions of the act, especially the gag order barring librarians from discussing details of law enforcement contact, have affected …