One Librarian's Story By Heidi Borton

[Filtering Facts]

This is a true story by a librarian who resigned after 10 years at the King
County (Wash.) Library rather than carry out the library policy of providing
pornography to children:

One Librarian's Story By Heidi Borton
http://www.filteringfacts.org/borton.htm

 I didn't intend to become an activist. Or to resign from a position that I
found to be both intellectually and emotionally satisfying. But after almost
ten years as a librarian in a large library system, I recently resigned. The
reason for this decision: I could not in good conscience support an "equal
and open access" Internet policy. What this policy means in fact and
practice is that librarians must sit silently by while any and all library
users access pornography and other information of a defamatory nature which
materials selection policy would disallow as a valid use of materials
budget. The conventional wisdom is that the brave new world of the Internet
is an uncontrollable medium, therefore we have no possibility of controlling
what is accessed once we provide access. Filters, admittedly an imperfect
solution, are dismissed as unworkable, and in fact a whole new apologetic of
reasons for providing unrestricted access to the Internet has developed
amongst library leaders and is being touted as the position of authority in
library periodicals. I am glad that David Burt and a few library systems
have braved intimidation and threatened lawsuits by the ACLU in order to at
least attempt some measures that bring a sense of sane responsibility to
this issue.

 A year and a half before I resigned I asked our Library Board to consider
the ramifications, both legal and ethical, to providing unrestricted
Internet access to all ages. Subsequently the system decided to install the
Bess filter on our children's terminals. In fact, this was a good move; at
least then when the newspapers reported on the issue they could laud the
fact that we cared about children (though they never saw the kids accessing
porn at adult terminals). Some librarians protested even this move. Sad as
it may seem there are those who think there is nothing wrong with
pornography being viewed by children, young adults, or adults. Isn't it
strange how we always talk about the power of information to change lives,
and then discount that viewing defaming and demeaning words, pictures and
sound can have any significant influence on someone's behavior? 

 The precipitating incident leading to my resignation came in November 1997.
It was a usual Saturday; we were busy and a little short-staffed. A phone
call came in and was referred to me by one of our library assistants. The
caller identified himself as a fourteen-year-old. He wanted to know if the
library allowed him to access pornography (his term) on our library
computers. At that point I knew I had a choice. I could either "hide" the
truth or tell him the truth. I chose to tell him what the library policy
was: that he could access whatever he wanted to, provided it wasn't illegal
child pornography. He then replied that he just wanted to see pictures of
"naked women". He also went on to ask a very logical if shocking question:
If the library allowed him to view these porn Internet sites why didn't the
library also subscribe to certain hard-core magazines? At that point I told
him that he would have to speak to the library manager who would be in on
Monday.

On Monday I spoke with the manager and with the head of the library system,
confirming that I had stated library policy correctly. I was told that I
had. Immediately I realized that I could never violate my own sense of
morality in this way again. Whatever library policy was, it was wrong to
give a fourteen-year-old (or for that matter a forty-year-old) access to
smut in a publicly funded and supported institution.

 I hope that my story will encourage other librarians who feel the same way
as I do to speak up and not be intimidated. I hope and pray that more sense
of responsibility will be shown by library administrators and those that are
helping libraries to become Internet access points. Let's have some written
policies that encourage (dare I say demand) a certain level of behavior in
order to have access to the Internet, that require parental permission, that
authorize the use of filters. Let's openly publicize our policies and expose
ourselves to some public scrutiny. Let's try to do the right thing, not just
what is "politically correct".

*****************************************************************************
David Burt	President, Filtering Facts
Website: 	http://www.filteringfacts.org
E-Mail:  	David_Burt at filteringfacts.org
Phone/Fax:	503 635-7048