ALA on Filtering

[Jerry Kuntz]

Kristine Buchanan wrote:
> 
>  Three cheers for the ALA!!
> 
>  Hip Hip Hooray!!
> 
> On Fri, 4 Jul 1997, Jon Lebkowsky wrote:
> 
> > I've just heard that the Council of the American Library Association passed
> > a resolution affirming "that the use of filtering software by libraries to
> > block access to Constitutionally protected speech abridges the _Library
> > Bill of Rights_."
> >

Well, instead of rejecting censorship, ALA has wound up rejecting a
technology--filtering--on the basis of anecdotal evidence about the
first few crude, heavy-handed (and designed mainly for home use)
products on the market.
Is there room in this resolution for filters that patrons can select to
apply (i.e. the ability to support multiple configurations)? What would
ALA think of parent's control over their own children's filtering
configuration? [They'll have to face this sooner or later, because the
technology is coming. The resolution's reference to the Library Bill of
Rights leads one to guess that they would be against parental control of
one's own children's filtering configuration within the library. Is
everyone comfortable with that?] 
BTW, I'm still waiting for a configurable filter that will screen out
advertising banners and commercial sites, whose cumulative effects scare
me more as a parent than cyberporn does. Why was there no resolution
aimed at search engine vendors to offer secure, ad-free interfaces to
schools and libraries?
Being against censorship and also an advocate for tools that will help
librarians guide patrons by reducing the noise-to-signal ratio inherent
in net searching are not mutually exclusive ideals. I'm still pushing
the idea of demanding better filtering technology from the vendors.

			Jerry Kuntz
			Electronic Resources Consultant
			Ramapo Catskill Library System
			jkuntz at rcls.org