I can fully understand people's frustrations with what is a silly archaic law that prevents librarians from offering a decent, rapid, efficient service to clients. However, to reiterate what Laurence Bebbington wrote, unlike the vast majority of "ordinary" transactions where signatures are required, the law on library privilege copying signatures is very carefully worded and there is great emphasis in it on the signature having to be the personal signature of the requestor.
If someone wishes to ignore that clear flagging up of the importance of the personal signature and relies instead on non-secure e mails, so be it. But readers of lis-link certainly can't complain that they weren't warned of the risks involved and I would strongly advise any librarians contemplating using non-secure e mail systems to take legal advice before committing to such a policy.
Charles
Professor Charles Oppenheim
Head
Department of Information Science
Loughborough University
Loughborough
Leics LE11 3TU
Tel 01509-223065
Fax 01509 223053
e mail [log in to unmask]
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