Gov libraries and Uncle Sam's httpd sniffers

[KAREN SCHNEIDER]

I can't speak for other places, but where I work, as government
contractors, if we have a work-related request, we fill it.  It would
be hugely inappropriate for us to do otherwise.  We also don't
spend a lot of time second-guessing the requests of the people
we work for.  If that guidance changes, we will be sure to see that
it is incorporated into the delivery order for our contract.

I do not live in fear that someone will discover I have been doing
my job.  If I want to play, I go home.  If I search it at work, it's
work-related.  If, intent on a reference query, I unknowingly
access a site outside of our local AUP (as when I tried to verify
the spelling of "Erin Go Bragh" and came up with the website,
"Erin Go Braless"), I blurp past it and go to the site that really has
my answer. If I spent a half-hour cruising it, downloading
graphics, and creating a Windows screen-saver--then I would
feel, quite justifiably, guilty.  If it's just another bit of noise, I don't
think twice about it.  When I decided to poke around for additinal
information on malformed genitalia in aquatic animals, I did not
lose any sleep worrying that the computer gurus would be
second-guessing my enquiry.  

As far as what "they" think about the Web stuff, our region has a
Web Content Librarian whose coursework included intellectual
freedom and whose responsibilities include worrying about
content, so since we ARE they, I think we're safe from the
nattering nabobs of network negativism, wherever they might be.

Meanwhile, not one response did I receive on diacritical marks in
meta fields.  Humph.

Karen G. Schneider/schneider.karen at epamail.epa.gov
Contractor, GCI/Director, US EPA Region 2 Library
http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/