Liability

[Alicia Abramson]

During the exchange about e-mail, a number of posters suggested that
libraries may be liable for what our users do when using e-mail from
libraries, even though by allowing access to e-mail, we are not necessarily
the e-mail providers.

This link is to a story in the online version of the San Jose Mercury News,
which reports that a Florida court ruled that AOL cannot be held liable for
illegal actions of an AOL subscriber/user (selling child pornography).  Do
others think that this standard may apply to libraries as well?

http://www.mercurycenter.com/business/tech/docs/011481.htm

Also, if someone checked out a book, such as _American Psycho_, by Brett
Easton Ellis, and used it as a blueprint for similar violent crimes, could
a library be held liable for that?  If not, how could it be different for
use of our computers? 

 
                             *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- 
                              Alicia Abramson     
                              Head, Library Systems 
                              American University   
                              (202) 885-3228         
                              alicia at newton.library.american.edu   
                             *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-