While the USA PATRIOT Act has altered how certain types of federal intelligence investigations affect libraries, the act also greatly alters how researchers can study information policy issues related to libraries. To date, the gravity and scope of the act's implications for researchers of library services, resources, operations, and policies have not been discussed widely. Researchers now must account for questions they cannot ask, or may not be able to ask, during the course of information policy research related to libraries. This article examines how the multiple impacts of the USA PATRIOT Act on libraries extend to researchers of library services, resources, operations, and policies, placing the current situation in historical context. These limitations, in turn, affect all libraries, as the findings of information policy research often have serious implications for the functions of libraries. This article discusses the myriad issues and research questions created by the USA PATRIOT Act for researchers, as well as the potential implications of these questions.