To date, 44 state library associations have endorsed the Resolution on the Use and Abuse of National Security Letters.

UPDATE 2/14/08: The Florida Library Association endorsed on February 8. Meanwhile, the California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners endorsed on February 2.

UPDATE 1/11/08: The Delaware Library Association endorsed on November 14.

UPDATE 1/8/08: The Montana Library Association endorsed on January 8.

UPDATE 1/4/08: Pennsylvania (Nov. 29), Michigan (Dec. 6), and West Virginia (Oct. 4) have endorsed the NSL resolution, as has the New England Library Association (Nov. 16).

UPDATE 11/20/07, 10:56 a.m.: Two more state chapters have endorsed the NSL resolution: Kansas (Oct. 12), Utah (Nov. 9).

UPDATE 10/12/07, 4:13 p.m.: Three more state chapters have endorsed the NSL resolution: New York (Sept. 27), South Dakota (October 1), and Idaho (October 5).

UPDATE 9/28/07, 3:19 p.m.: On September 13, the Wyoming Library Association Executive Board voted to endorse the resolution – as did the members in attendance! On September 26, at its annual convention, the North Dakota Library Association endorsed.

UPDATE 9/27/07, 8:45 a.m.: On September 26, the Texas Library Association Executive Board voted to endorse ALA’s resolution concerning National Security Letters, while on September 23, the Alaska Library Association Executive Council did the same.

UPDATE 9/24/07, 3:36 p.m.: The Alabama Library Association endorsed the NSL resolution on September 19.

UPDATE 9/19/07, 11:55 a.m.: Add New Jersey and New Hampshire to the list! NJLA (Sept. 18) and NHLA (Sept. 18) have endorsed ALA’s resolution on NSLs.

UPDATE 9/13/07, 11:55 a.m.: Add Maryland, Virginia, and Wisconsin to the list! MLA (Sept. 11), VLA (Sept. 7), and WLA (Aug. 31) have endorsed ALA’s resolution on NSLs.

UPDATE 9/7/07, 1:27 p.m.: The Washington Library Association has adopted a resolution endorsing ALA’s resolution on National Security Letters.

UPDATE 9/6/07, 4:45 p.m.: At its August meeting, the Executive Board of the Oklahoma Library Association endorsed the NSL Resolution as passed by ALA Council in July.

UPDATE 8/28/07, 1:29 p.m.: On August 25, the Tennessee Library Association voted to endorse the NSL Resolution.

UPDATE 8/27/07, 1:29 p.m.: On August 24 and 27, the Oregon Library Association and the New Mexico Library Association, respectively, joined the list of state chapters endorsing the NSL Resolution.

UPDATE 8/17/07, 10:25 a.m.: On August 16, the Illinois Library Association joined the list of state chapters endorsing the NSL Resolution. Additionally, on 8/15, California Academic and Research Libraries – CARL – endorsed the NSL Resolution.

UPDATE 8/16/07, 2:38 p.m.: On August 15, the South Carolina Library Association endorsed the ALA Resolution on the Use and Abuse of National Security Letters.

UPDATE 8/15/07, 10:00 a.m.: Two additional states have endorsed the ALA resolution, California and Iowa, bringing the total number of states to 16!

UPDATE 8/14/07, 9:00 a.m.: Since this item was initially posted, more states have been added to the list. To date, 14 state library associations have endorsed the ALA resolution: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

At the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., the ALA Council unanimously adopted a Resolution on the Use and Abuse of
National Security Letters:

RESOLVED, That the American Library Association condemns the use of National Security Letters to obtain library records; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the American Library Association urges Congress to pursue legislative reforms in order to provide adequate protection for each library user’s Constitutional right to be free from unwarranted and unjustified government surveillance, including:

* Judicial oversight of National Security Letters (NSLs) requiring a showing of individualized suspicion and demonstrating a factual connection between the individual whose records are sought by the FBI and an actual investigation;

* Elimination of the automatic and permanent imposition of a nondisclosure or “gag” order whenever an NSL is served on an individual or institution;
* Allowing recipients of NSLs to receive meaningful judicial review of a challenge to their NSL without deferring to the government’s claims;
* Increased oversight by Congress and the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice over NSLs and FBI activities that implicate the First Amendment; and
* Providing for the management, handling, dissemination and destruction of personally identifiable information obtained through NSLs; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the ALA communicates this resolution to the Offices of the President and Vice President, Congress, ALA members, and state chapters; and that ALA urges its members, state chapters, and all library advocates to ask Congress to restore civil liberties and correct the abuse and misuse of National Security Letters.

To date, 10 state library associations have endorsed the ALA resolution: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

If your state library association has considered or is planning to consider a similar resolution, please contact Jonathan Kelley at jokelley(at)ala.org and Nanette Perez at nperez(at)ala.org.

For more information on National Security Letters, visit OIF’s page on the USA PATRIOT Act.

Also see: ALA Press Release on NSL Resolution