March 8, 2002

An Order to Destroy a CD-ROM Raises Concerns Among University Librarians

By ALEX P. KELLOGG

College librarians who were forced by the federal government to destroy copies of a CD-ROM put out by the United States Geological Survey say destruction of the disks raises concerns about intellectual freedom. The government said the CD's, which contained information on water supplies, posed a security risk in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In October the government ordered the 335 libraries holding copies of the CD-ROM to destroy them. The majority of the

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