Wytheville Community College has stopped publicizing the names of people with overdue materials at its library, pending a review of that policy prompted by a story in Thursday's Roanoke Times, school President Charlie White said.

In an unusual tactic that several librarians, including the American Library Association president, said raised privacy concerns, Wytheville had listed in its newsletter the names of patrons who owed the library small fines.

The policy, intended to get materials back as soon as possible, dates to when the school had only a printed newsletter.

Names of patrons with outstanding obligations have appeared on the Internet version of the newsletter since at least 1998, according to a review of the college Web site Wednesday evening.

The link to the patron lists was no longer accessible Thursday.

"I told them this morning to take it down," White said on Thursday.

He started as Wytheville's president in May and said he is reviewing policies across the college.

Anna Ray Roberts, Wytheville's coordinator of library services, said the patron lists were intended to inform, not embarrass, and had not drawn complaints.

The list had said only that patrons had to "resolve obligations," and did not identify what materials they may have kept too long.

But given the questions that were raised about the policy, Roberts said, "My thinking is we will discontinue."

-- Albert Raboteau