Filtering discussion

[Dan Robinson]

David Vaughan brings up a good point on the problem. The companies 
involved claim that their lists of blocked sites have to be secret to 
protect their product. However the library world is used to openness 
in terms of products. Suppose the bibliographic and fulltext vendors 
changed to this format. 

A library would not know what journals were indexed or had fulltext 
included. After a search, a citation would only contain a key that 
would later give the source if the person could prove that they were 
entitled to the information. After all, each company would not want 
it's competitors to know the journals and fulltext that it had 
available. That would be anti-competative. In addition, once a 
journal was indexed or fulltext added, it would never be touched 
again. Even if a record were bad or unretrievable. Again, if the 
source is secret, no one would ever know. 

I'm proposing that the filtering companies adopt the model already 
used in the library community by the indexing and fulltext vendors:  
full and open disclosure of their block lists. I can see advantages 
to the filtering companies, the main one being that they will have an 
army of unpaid checkers pouring over the lists to find and report 
problems. 

Libraries will know upfront what a default install will block. They 
will be able to make informed choices about what to filter and what 
not to filter. 

Finally, there is a question on what percentage of false blocks is 
acceptable. I propose a level: 0 %.   With open lists and prompt 
correction of mistaken entries, false blocks will approach 0%. 

Dan Robinson
Indexing Services
H.W. Wilson Company
Bronx, NY
drobinson at hwwilson.com
(posting from alternate address)


===>> David Vaughan: 
On the issue being debated:

As a "techie" guy, I would be reluctant to allow any software on my
library's network whose basic functionality I could not control.
Therefore, while I may not actively oppose filtering, I would fight to
ensure that any filtering product we used had an open, customizable
filter list and features.  On a personal level, I think filtering may
have a place on machines dedicated to use by children (although I
agree with a number of other speakers that parental responsibility is
the best filter), but filters that block adult users from useful,
important information (such as gay/lesbian resources) have no place in
a public library.

David

David S. Vaughan, Systems Librarian         Phone: 905-546-4126 x36
Wentworth Libraries                                  Fax: 905-522-9083
Hamilton, ON, Canada

EMAIL: dvaughan at wentworth.library.on.ca

"Opinions expressed are those of David S. Vaughan, and do not
necessarily reflect those of his employer or other bodies with which
he is associated."