Diversity of Filtering Panels Improves

[Filtering Facts]

Diversity of Filtering Panels Improves

Cross posted to PUBLIB, WEB4LIB, FILT4LIB, ALAOIF

I recently surveyed the homepages of state library associations that are
holding conferences in October and November.  I wanted to see how many were
having panels on filtering, and if these panels would include a diversity of
opinions, including librarians who actually use filters, filtering vendors,
and filtering supporters.  I then telephoned most of the program organizers
to ask them about their panels.  Everyone I talked to was very polite and
professional, except for one woman in Texas (I'll be polite enough not to
mention her name) who told me I was "disgusting".  I was pleased to discover
that five state fall conferences were having filtering panels, and four of
them would have diverse panels.  Additionally, the PLA conference in March
will have filtering supporters, as will the Kansas Library Association in
April, and the Maryland Library Association in March.

The New York Library Association Conference will have the following program
on November 1, which will include Susan Getgood of CyberPatrol:

Children in the On-line Library 
Whose ultimate responsibility is it anyway? This program focused on the
issues surrounding Internet filtering software. Is on-line access for
children solely the responsibility of parents? 
PRESIDERS: Rich Peters, Amherst Public Library; SPEAKERS: Susan Getgood,
Microsystems Software; Barry Fagin, Parents Against Internet Censorship 
Conference URL:
http://www.union.edu/PUBLIC/LIBRARY/org/prelim.html 

The Illinois Library Association Conference will have the following program
on October 28 , which will include librarians who use filters:

Internet and Censorship
Internet censorship issues will be presented including the pros and cons of
filtering software and the impact of the CDA.  Learn what other libraries
are doing to address these issues.  Speakers: Holly Richards Sorensen, Robin
Smith, Edward Valauskas, Rob Atkinson, Michale Madden 

The Colorado Library Association Conference will have the following program
on October 12, which the moderator, Jamie LaRue, told me would have a
librarian who filters on it:

Internet Freedoms & Filters (panel)
Conference URL:
http://douglas.lib.co.us/cla97/schedule.html 

The Missouri Library Association Conference will have a filtering program on
October 10.  The program organizer,  Tyrone Emerick, told me he was getting
a pro-filtering librarian or filtering vendor for the panel.

Of the fall state library association conferences, only the California
Library Association conference panel on November 17 is to be one-sided, with
no librarians who filter, filtering vendors, or filtering supporters
represented.  When I spoke to the program organizer she said she would be
receptive to filtering supporters on a panel in the future.

Internet Hot Topics, Part 1: Filters
     Intellectual freedom and the rights and protection of minors have
collided in the arena of
     public access to the Internet. Speakers will cover legal issues, the
results of the Internet
     Filter Assessment Project and how to address concerns and challenges
from our patrons.
     Presiding: Jeannine Semrau. Speakers: George Porter, California
Institute of Technology;
     Frances Jones, California State Law Library. Sponsored: Reference Services
     Section/Intellect Freedom Committee/Legislative Committee.
URL:
http://www.cla-net.org/conf97/monday.html


Well, four out of five is pretty darn good.  I'm very happy to see
conference organizers recognizing the importance of representing multiple
sides of this issue.   Holly Richards Sorensen of the  Bloomingdale, IL PL,
and organizer of the Illinois Library Association program put it best: "We
wanted to represent the different points of view on our program.  After all,
that's what a public library is all about."  
Amen.

David

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David Burt, Filtering Facts, HTTP://WWW.FILTERINGFACTS.ORG
David_Burt at filteringfacts.org