ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 13, Number 58
August 25, 2004

In This Issue: Senators write to DOJ regarding order to destroy depository library documents

On August 24, 2004, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-MI.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee,  wrote Attorney General John D. Ashcroft asking him to explain the rationale for the request that GPO instruct federal depository librarians to withdraw and destroy five documents. (See the July 23rd and August 2nd ALAWONs for more information [www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washnews/news2004/2004.htm] )  The ALA Washington Office has been in communication with the congressional offices since the DOJ request.

Senator  Leahy and Rep. Conyers Jr. said "Given the Administration's penchant for secrecy, we fear that this action was yet another attempt to erode the public's right to know." 

The Senators' letter can be found online at: 

<http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/dojlibraryltr82404.pdf>



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ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff.  Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Carol Ashworth, Camille Bowman, Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.