The Secretary amends the regulations regarding the production of information pursuant to demands in judicial or administrative proceedings. The changes are intended to promote consistency in the Department's assertion of privileges and objections, and thereby prevent harm that may result from inappropriate disclosure of confidential information or…

Reviews the background of the Forsham v Harris case and discusses the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling that research records and data of federally funded grantees are not considered federal agency records subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. (Author/GC)

Reviews specific problems associated with software protection (copyright license, trade secret license), clauses in software license agreements that most frequently cause difficulties, and solutions university administrators and software industry should consider. Topics include confidentiality, restrictive use of modifications, use on single…

Laws of the 12 states which permit access to records of adoption proceedings without a court order are summarized. Statutes on access to adoption records for all 50 states are presented in tabular form and two recent court cases concerning adoption record access are described. (JMB)

For the announced purpose of protecting the privacy of individuals identified in information systems maintained by Federal agencies, Public Law 93-579 regulates the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of personal information by the agencies. The act enables an individual to determine what records are being kept; to have access to them,…

Common law grants immunity for defamatory statements to administrative bodies such as boards. The limitations under which board participants function in relation to immunity from defamation suits are outlined. Includes discussion of specific court cases. (MD)

Discusses events that led to the passage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of 1966. Problems and abuses associated with the law are described with excerpts of the law regarding required disclosures, disclosure under FOIA, fees, and subjects not available under FOIA. Seventeen references are listed. (CHC)

Unlike private parties, school districts have legal restraints on their ability to settle disputes in secret. Open records laws, state reporting statutes, judicial interpretations of public policy, and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution may all restrict a school district's ability to enter into valid settlement agreements containing…

A library director describes her experience of safeguarding the confidentiality of the circulation records of a woman who went on a shooting rampage at a shopping mall. The lawyer who represented the library discusses the legal responsibility of public and school libraries concerning confidentiality. (CLB)

Discusses the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Library Awareness Program and presents the American Library Association's policy on confidentiality of library records and suggested procedures for implementing the policy. Relevant state and federal legislation are summarized, and suggestions are offered for library administrators dealing with the…

Responding to the needs of children, particularly juvenile offenders, requires both good judgment and good information. Knowledge and awareness of a child's background and problems gives teachers, counselors, administrators, police, and other legal professionals guidance in developing proper education, programs, and counsel for the child.…

The regulations of the New York City Board of Education which spell out an individual's right to have access to Board of Education records are given. The regulations reflect the Board of Education's attempt to meet the requirements of the New York State Freedom of Information Law of 1977. The regulations deal with the following topics: (1) the…

Reading habits as private or public affairs are discussed in this essay concerning the application of the right of privacy to library circulation records. Several related court cases and library exemptions granted by state legislatures in 17 states are noted. Twenty-six references are cited. (EJS)

This document presents the text from two Senate hearings on the AIDS Federal Policy Act of 1987 which concerns voluntary testing for AIDS virus, education and counseling to stop the spread of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), and confidentiality and discrimination against AIDS victims. In the first hearing, opening statements are…

A recent Supreme Court decision on a First Amendment case involving a teacher in Texas illustrates how teachers' and other public employees' rights to freedom of speech face serious erosion. The problem is deciding whether grievances fall into the protected area of "public concern" or the unprotected area of a "purely private…