Boston situation -Reply

[Dan Lester]

>>> Millard Johnson <zendog at incolsa.palni.edu> 02/25/97
03:47pm >>>
If a truck pulled up to the back of your library and offered to
give you tons of books free but some of them were ads,
some self promotion and fabrications, and others
pornography, would you take them in?
Why would we fight for acceptance on the Internet of what we
would not accept in print?
-------------------------------------------
Point taken, but point is only partially relevant.  

First,  it is impossible for an individual or committee to review
all the internet sites.  There are several thousand being
added per DAY, to say nothing of innumerable pages being
added to existing sites.  Even LC and NYPL together couldn't
handle that, even if they quit dealing with books AND we all
agreed to abide by their infinite wisdom.  (no insult to anyone
intended....same would be true of any other grouping one
might invent).

Second, FILTERS DON'T WORK.  Sure, they'll block some
sites....but not the new ones.  They'll also block a lot of good
stuff.  Examples abound, and have been cited repeatedly by
others when this has been hashed over on libref, pacs-l, etc,
etc.  I'm sure it will be debated eternally.  

Third, some may think that a halfass tool is better than
none....though I'll disagree on it here. Remember when AOL
banned the word "breast" a year or so ago?  Not only was
illadvised and made them look foolish....but do you think they
could think of every slang or euphemistic term for a breast
and block that too?  Not likely at all...and if they did new
ones would just be thought up.   We need to continue to
teach people how to select their own things.  Most are
capable of doing so automatically....though the average B&B
viewer may make decisions that are different from those of
you, me, your pastor, your principal, your mother, etc, etc. 
Isn't that the way the world is?  
===================================
The solution is for librarians to review net resources for the
same  kind of quality control that they exercise for over print
material.  If we choose not to accept a professional
responsibility for selecting net materials, why are we
surprised when someone imposes some external standard
on us?
---------------------------------------
Well, when you find the magic crystal that at least doubles
all of our budgets so we can hire these reviewers/selectors,
let me know....and I'll buy a piece of it and we'll both retire
rich.

dan





Dan Lester, Network Information Coordinator
Boise State University Library, Boise, Idaho, 83725 USA
voice: 208-385-1235   fax:  208-385-1394
dlester at bsu.idbsu.edu     OR    alileste at idbsu.idbsu.edu
Cyclops' Internet Toolbox:    http://cyclops.idbsu.edu
"How can one fool make another wise?"   Kansas, 1979.