Governor Whitmer Signs SB611 - Amendments to the Library Privacy Act

December 29, 2020

On December 29, 2020, Governor Whitmer signed into law Senate Bill 611 - now Public Act 315 of 2020 - amendments to the Library Privacy Act. We are eternally grateful to bill sponsor Senator Peter MacGregor and to all of the library advocates that helped us get this across the line and signed into law.

This legislation removes obstacles and legal barriers libraries sometimes face when a crime has been committed in the library while providing for continued protection to a core foundational value of libraries: protecting patron privacy in their reading histories, materials borrowed, resources reviewed, or services used at the library. The greatest change to the Michigan Library Privacy Act has come in clarifying that a library record does not include video surveillance and that video surveillance can be turned over to law enforcement without a court order if it shows no identifying records. By updating the current Act, we are making libraries safer by hastening the investigation of crimes committed in the library and on library property through video surveillance.

MLA will be developing educational sessions to address the changes in the Act. Watch for more information in MLA's Primary Source.