On February 11, 2004 David Fidanque, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oregon, will participate in a community forum on the USA-PATRIOT Act and its impact on libraries. The forum will begin at 7:00 P.M. at the Central Library in downtown Portland.

Joining Mr. Fidanque on the panel will be Oregonian columnist David Sarasohn and a representative from the U.S. Attorney’s office. The event will be moderated by Molly Raphael, County Director of Libraries.

This forum is one of more than 90 community events planned for January and February as part of Multnomah County Library’s 2nd Annual Everybody Reads Project. Beginning January 7, thousands of adults and teens will explore the question "When books burn, what else goes up in smoke?" when they read Ray Bradbury’s classic novel Fahrenheit 451.

"Fahrenheit 451 provides a wonderful opportunity to explore many issues that are of critical interest right now, including free access to information and the impact of technology," says Penny Hummel, Everybody Reads Project Director. For more information, visit www.multcolib.org/reads/