“All I’m trying to acquire is a simple name and address,” Bilek said.

He said that in a hostage situation or the case of someone passed out, emergency responders need to know a person’s identity as quickly as possible.

Bilek cited the case at the South Omaha branch.

The drunk man was harassing patrons. Metropolitan Community College police arrived, but he wouldn’t give them his name.

Metro Police Chief Dave Friend said the man’s unwillingness to give his name meant that officers couldn’t take him to a treatment facility. Friend said officers couldn’t arrest him but didn’t want to leave him at the library.

He said it tied up officers for about two hours. Had the library staff been able to give officers the man’s name, the incident would have been resolved much faster, Friend said.

Wasdin said most other states require libraries to keep patron information private. State law allows, but doesn’t require, libraries to keep patron information private.

Robin Clark, president of the Nebraska Library Association, said she doesn’t know of any other libraries in Nebraska with a policy like the one Bilek proposed.