One Librarian's Story

[Wilfred Drew]

Its interesting to see academic librarians telling public librarians what they should be doing.  I can see and understand both sides of the filtering controversy.  I am personally opposed to filtering and believe all librarians should take a stand against it purely on first amendment grounds.  But I also find it a bit ridiculous that we academics really ignore the real pressure that there is on public and school librarians to "protect" our children from all of those "perverts" on the internet.  The general public and many governing bodies do not approach this in any way nearing reasoned thought and action.  The same thing happens when people vote down school and public library budgets where such votes occur.  Librarians must be pragmatic and may even have to compromise.  This is really a no-win situation when librarians must go up against the filtering industry and its apologists in library land and the general public.  

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Wilfred Drew (Call me "Bill"); Associate Librarian (Systems, Reference)
President, SUNY Librarians Association (SUNYLA)
SUNY College of Ag. & Tech.;   P.O. Box 902;  Morrisville, NY 13408-0902
E-mail: drewwe at morrisville.edu powwow:drewwe at wedrew.lib.morrisville.edu
Phone: (315)684-6055 or 684-6060 Fax: (315)684-6115
Homepage: <http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/>
Not Just Cows: <http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/>
LibraryLinks: <http://www.morrisville.edu/pages/library/>
SUNYLA: <http://www.albany.edu/library/sunyla/>
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