The Turning Tide

[Judith Falzon]

> > 
> > It's definitely worth noting that every time the filtering debate comes
> > up on this list, more and more librarians express pro-filtering
> > sentiments.  Librarians I know in "Real Life" are increasingly willing
> > to openly support the idea of true, meaningful selection of Internet
> > resources, and are rejecting the stuporous "everything on the net or
> > nothing" false dichotomy, which turns librarian's selection role into
> > that of a dumbed-down public access port, and standing up to the moral
> > arrogance and professional stupidity of defending porn in children's
> > rooms.
> 
Perhaps this is true. If so, my interpretation is that many are caving in to
media and political pressures. Perhaps some think that by taking this road
they will quelch controversy over access to materials and make the library
safe (in terms of budget and PR). Access to controversial materials has
been around a long time. I appreciate more deeply the librarians before
my time who fought to establish principles contained in Library Bill
of Rights. I wonder if libraries are repealing the LBOR that speak to
equity of access, and access to controversial and unpopular opinions.

Judy Falzon