Filters/Cybersitter

[Anna Schwind]

On Thu, 24 Apr 1997, Ronnie Morgan wrote:

> Sorry, but I must say something about this now...

Now I must say something as well.  This issue is many sided and 
complex and I have been following the discussion with quite a bit of 
interest over the past couple of weeks.  

On to my point.

He says :

> I'm also a little curious about the freedom of speech and rights to access
> issues.  When you are in the privacy of your own home, is the libraries
> filter program activated on your home PC?  So, if it isn't activated, then
> can you access anything on the internet, from your home?  So, if you can
> access anything you want, from your home, is your right to access affected?
>  Okay, so, if you are able to access everything on the net, from your home,
> is the freedom of speech of the people providing the questionable material
> being stomped on?  Then why get all worked up about a library installing a
> filter program?  Just stay home.

A PC is, as you know, roughly $2000.  Not everyone can afford to (or wants 
to) have one at home.  Matter of fact, a bit less than 50% of American 
homes have computers in them.  If everyone had one, then the problem 
would be solved for libraries because we needn't offer internet access 
at all, just like we don't regularly offer television, radio or telephone 
access.  So perhaps your personal rights of free speech are not being 
violated because you have an alternate access method but you would be 
mistaken to assume that everyone, or even most people, have an alternate 
access method.  
 
I gather from what librarians are saying on this list that while they 
are as concerned as anyone about children pulling up questionable, 
inappropriate and or obscene/material that they also feel obligated to 
preserve the access rights of adults who, for whatever reason, do not 
have the luxury of going home and using the internet.  

Humor dose for the day :  Maybe the solution is to raise the monitors and 
keyboards to a height that your average ten your old can't reach.  Yeah, 
that's it, the keyboard is five feet off the ground and the monitor five and 
a half feet and no chair is provided.

Anna
--
Anna Schwind			"I'm going to study to be a lawyer.
(anna at merlin.deltast.edu)	I want to know how to change gold into lead."
Systems Librarian	       		-  From "Law & Order"
Delta State University				    
Cleveland, MS