If civilizations have a soul, in my opinion it is to be found in their libraries. Among those who study ancient history directly, i.e., archaeologists, few finds are more prized than something with writing on it. And if you are lucky enough to be in on the discovery of a trove of texts, whether it be the Dead Sea Scrolls or a scrawl of graffiti, those words speak across time in a way that other artifacts cannot.

Libraries are the mother lodes of learning. I know that it’s fashionable to claim that “everything is on the web”, but it’s not. Not even close. And as long as there are copyright laws, any comprehensive research project will have to include trips to the library. Public libraries hold a special place in my heart. There are few things so liberating to a curious mind as being in the midst of a huge collection of books, videos, recordings… and you can use any of them. For free! Best of all, until recently you could browse and read and check out materials and be reasonably assured that your reading preferences and research would remain private (unlike on the web). I also have a great admiration for librarians, and reference librarians in particular, but I admire librarians even more now that they are resisting government pressure to disclose information about library patrons in the name of security.

In an article titled “Patriotic Librarians”, Sari Gelzer describes the latest debates over the wisdom of compromising the privacy of library patrons in the name of security. While I firmly side with Gelzer and the librarians who resist efforts to compromise the privacy of their patrons, I do so not just out of that streak of anarchy that is the birthright of every American. I believe that the free flow of information has always been an indicator of a society’s strength. A strong society can resist terrorism in ways Al Qaeda cannot begin to grasp. The fact of the matter is that in a “terror war” such as we now find ourselves waging, all other things being equal, the smartest side is going to win.

I submit that the decay of our public info-structure does significant damage to American society by restricting the ability of our citizenry to inform itself, even if it’s no more than everyday problem-solving. Although most people are not nearly well-enough informed to have a solid opinion on every issue, the decay of information access invariably will result in further decay of democracy. Independent researchers and “amateur journalists”–bloggers–have brought important stories and issues before the public, and the tools they use need to remain freely accessible. While I am all for fighting terrorism, turning our libraries into surveillance zones for legitimate users is unutterably wrong. The damage will far outweigh any advantage in the Global War on Terror.