At least two Coplay Public Library board members don't agree with the recommendation of the board's attorney.

At the Dec. 12 meeting, library board President Janet Eisenhauer read a report from attorney John Stover recommending against running the feed from security cameras to the police station.

"There is ... an issue as to whether or not law enforcement should have direct access to the video feeds from the cameras," says Stover's Dec. 12 email to Eisenhauer.

"I tend to agree with this cautionary procedure and would recommend that the viewing of the video feeds be limited to library personnel/library board only and that we would be cooperative with law enforcement should the need arise for them to view the same."

"I don't agree with that," said board member Charles Sodl.

Stover's memo recommends writing a policy outlining the use of cameras including signs informing patrons that video surveillance cameras are in use.

The board received a $350 donation from Coplay Community Days for the purchase of security cameras. The board voted at the meeting to proceed with the purchase of a set of eight cameras with night vision for indoor and outdoor use. The cost is $349.

The board will ask borough public works Director Dan Pavelko to set up the cameras.

The borough will purchase the cameras on the library's behalf and the library will reimburse the borough.

"There's a lot that has to be done before we put the cameras in," Eisenhauer said.

"In essence, what this is, is a security camera," said Sodl. "We have precedent already set with this borough with these cameras, because we have them in this building. We have them in the pool. We have them in the [borough] office. We have them in the police station."

Sodl said he would like to get clarification from Stover, who did not attend the meeting but is expected to be there in January.

"I don't see what we're going to gain by just making it a complete loop inside the library. If something is going wrong, wouldn't we want the police to know?" Sodl said.

"I totally agree," said Eisenhauer, adding she met with police Chief Vincent Genovese earlier that day, before receiving Stover's memo, and understood that having the feed go to the police station would not be a problem.

Stover's memo makes reference to the laws requiring privacy for library patrons.

"While the right of privacy doesn't specifically prohibit things such as security cameras, it does seem to hint that there are certain areas where patrons would have a right to expect privacy in the viewing of library materials," says Stover's memo.

Cameras should be placed in public areas such as parking lots and the entrance to the library but not in locations that would allow them to capture patron information, Stover wrote.

"I guess people have this wrong conception that we want to watch them all the time," Sodl said.

He mentioned shoppers club cards typically given to customers of grocery and drug stores. Although they offer discounts, the cards' real purpose is to gather data on customers' shopping habits.

"It's actually marketing – how you paid for it, what you bought," Sodl said.

The library doesn't need to know what kinds of materials a patron checks out. The board needs to know only when someone enters the premises and when each person leaves in case a crime is committed.

"When [Stover] talked to me this afternoon he had said that the thing we have to just be concerned about ... is that the expectation of privacy is kept," said Eisenhauer. "I said, 'I totally understand that.'"

Eisenhauer said she will ask Stover to bring his reference material to the January meeting so he can explain his recommendation to board members.