Terrorism bill poses threat. The government's Terrorism Bill puts libraries, librarians and free speech at risk, according to an alliance of the industry's professional bodies.

Byline: Mark Chillingworth.

Unions, professional associations and the British Library have demanded that the government amend the Terrorism Bill (currently before Parliament) in a special meeting with Home Office officials.

An alliance of 14 bodies representing information professionals, as well as the Association of University Teachers (AUT), are lobbying peers and MPs to have the controversial bill amended to prevent library resources, users and academics being criminalised.

The alliance includes the British Library, the Scottish and Welsh national libraries, Cilip, the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA), the Scottish Confederation of University & Research Libraries (SCURL), and the British & Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL).

A joint letter has been sent to MPs, stating "general support for the aims of the Terrorism Bill", but questioning its wording. The letter claims that the bill poses a "significant danger of criminalisation of libraries and librarians".

Guy Daines, Cilip's principal policy officer, said: "The bill, as it stands, means staff carrying out their normal day-to-day duties are breaking the law, and that is dangerous." Cilip is especially concerned that the selection of material concerning terrorism for a library should not be seen as endorsing terrorism. "Cataloguing articles does not constitute an examination of it," Daines said.

The Association of University Teachers (AUT), the higher education union, is calling for academia to be exempt from the bill if it becomes law. "We will not be able to defeat terrorism if we are unable to study and learn more about its causes, its methods and the motivations of those who engage in such activities," said Jonathan Whitehead, AUT head of parliamentary affairs.