Prince William Approves Open Internet Access

[CMUNSON]

Some encouraging news. If you are still fence-sitting on the 
censorware/filtering issue and want to see some anti-filtering viewpoints, 
check out:

Filtering and Censorware in Libraries
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7382/index.html

Chuck

===============
Prince William Approves Open Internet Access
Library Board Rejects Plan to Filter Web Sites


By Eric L. Wee
Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, January 23, 1998; Page B06 

Prince William residents soon will be able to cruise the Internet at their 
public libraries without restrictions after the county's library board 
approved unfettered access last night.

The 7 to 3 vote will allow both adults and children to explore any site 
they choose at the county's 10 libraries. The board rejected a plan to 
place filters on county computers to screen out sexually explicit sites, 
but in a compromise move, they approved placing special computers that can 
access only prescreened sites in children's areas. The library director 
said the county could have the computers up and running within three 
months.

The decision comes after months of debate within the county on how much 
Internet access is appropriate in a public library. Some residents worried 
that open access would expose young children to sexually graphic material, 
while others said any type of filtering would make the computers 
ineffective research tools.

Jurisdictions nationwide have been struggling with Internet policies. In 
October, Loudoun County adopted one of the country's most restrictive 
policies by not allowing their library Internet users access to sexually 
explicit material. 

"We have many, many patrons who want open access, and I haven't seen any 
blocking software that's acceptable," said Joyce Phillips, the board's 
chairman, who proposed the open access plan. "I just don't believe that 
people are going to come in here looking for pornography."

Under the plan adopted last night, the board agreed to buy a software 
called Library Channel that will give patrons access to about 20,000 
preselected World Wide Web sites. But anyone using the computers in the 
main areas of the libraries also will be able to move to the Web and 
conduct a search themselves, accessing any site.

Children's areas will have computers with access only to sites determined 
acceptable for children. But Phillips said minors will be able to leave 
that area and use other computers with full Web access.

"Parents can tell kids not to use the other computers," Phillips said. "But 
librarians are not going to run around and tell them where they can go."

Board member Dennis Daugherty criticized the decision, saying it will allow 
children to see inappropriate sexual material.

"I think we've made a decision that will change the environment of the 
library from a family-friendly place where you can bring your kids to soak 
up knowledge to a place people are going to have to be cautious in," 
Daugherty said. "It was a decision we are going to regret."


Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company

---------------------------
  ** NOTICE:  In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107,
     material appearing here is distributed without profit to
     those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this
     information for research and educational purposes. **