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Dissertation Information for Cheryl Ann Landry McHenry

NAME:
- Cheryl Ann Landry McHenry

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Simmons College (USA) (1989)

ADVISORS:
- Robert Stueart

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: The FBI library awareness program and foreign counterintelligence visits to libraries : a content analysis of source documents

Abstract: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Library Awareness Program became the focus of national interest when the New York Times published a front page story on September 19, 1987 informing the public of the FBI's attempt to recruit librarians as "Government informers". According to the article, the FBI was conducting a library awareness program in the New York area, asking librarians to be alert to foreigners from nations hostile to the United States and to report their activities to the FBI. The ongoing media coverage and debate since 1987, identifies the FBI and NCLIS (U.S. National Commission on Library and Information Science) as major stakeholders supporting the program and Congress and the library community under the leadership of the American Library Association (ALA) Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) as major stakeholders opposing it.

This study uses content analysis as the methodology to identify, classify, and compare the range of arguments - justifications and evidence - offered by these stakeholders. Stakeholders' arguments were compared and analyzed to determine whether they tend to defend their own position or challenge the opposing stakeholders.

The three major justifications stated by the FBI and NCLIS for supporting the program were identified as the FBI's need to protect national security, to protect sensitive data, and to fulfill foreign counterintelligence responsibilities. Congressional Committees and the library community offered three major justifications for opposing the program: the need to safeguard constitutional rights of individuals, protect legal rights of library users, and to defend librarians' professional ethics.

In response to questioning, the FBI acknowledged that it has two separate programs in existence for making visits in libraries: The Library Awareness Program in New York City, and The Foreign Counterintelligence Program nationwide. Moreover, the FBI claims that inquiries in libraries will continue when deemed necessary.


MPACT Scores for Cheryl Ann Landry McHenry

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:33:23

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Students under Cheryl Ann Landry McHenry

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None