children accessing porn; adults turning off filterware (was R

[Thomas W. Perrin]

The mayor, the city council, the pta, are all subject to the same laws
and the same courts as the rest of us.  Presumably, they would not fight
a court order to provide fair and equal access to all patrons. 

Nevertheless, it seems to me that there is a way out of this that should
be acceptable to most, if not all:

With regards to the children's section of the library, installed
computers have access only to those sites SELECTED by the library
staff.  Thus, we are talking selection, not censorship. Surely, in the
first 5,000 sites we might select for children, there is enough to keep
the pre-teens busy. If they need more, they are free to use unrestricted
computers in the remainder of the library, subject only to parental
permission.

With regards to the remainder of the library, installed computers have
free and unfettered access to all of the internet, subject to
limitations of time, space and good library manners.

Tom Perrin



Burt, David wrote:
> 
> Laura Quilter wrote:
> 
> >Actually, Ronnie, it *can* be argued that children have the "'right' to
> porn."
> 
> And would you like to argue this to the mayor?  The City Council?  The
> PTA?  The local TV news?
> 
> And how about when it's election time, and the library's serial levy
> funding for the next 3 years is on the line?
> 
>   ***********************************************************
>           David Burt, Information Technology Librarian
>           The Lake Oswego Public Library
>           706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
>           URL:          http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/library.htm
>           Phone:     (503) 675-2537
>           Fax:           (503) 635-4171
>           E-mail:      dburt at ci.oswego.or.us