Library Lawsuit

[Erin Noll]

On Mon, 1 Jun 1998, Bob Cherry wrote:

> Ah, the files and trash didn't just pop up in front of the child.  The
> thing to always keep in mind is that the child had to:
>   1.  Search it out
>   2.  Explicitly download it.

I'm sorry, but I have to say, "WRONG!!!" 

On the contrary, the big problem in some of our local libraries
is not children seeking out pornography but a child walking to a
terminal, moving the mouse to turn off the screen saver and,
voila -- a pornographic picture is up in the Web browser window,
left by the last user. Sometimes, around here, the patrons leave
it up on purpose and then steal away to a table, hide behind a
book, and wait to see what happens. 

I used to think that what you say is true but I've since seen
otherwise. The problem around here isn't the children ... it's
the dirty old (and not so old) men. 

And, any more, the sexually explicit sites on the Internet don't
require any special downloads, making it easier than ever to view
a bigger than life size picture of god-knows-who-or-what "in
flagrante delicto".
 
So now, we have a filter. Which, as well as it works, isn't
perfect. We still have a few problems, but nothing like we had in
the three month trial of unfiltered access.

> When did actions of people become other peoples responsibility.  This
> should be addressed as a matter of decipline between the patron and
> their child -- not the libraries.

I agree with this to a point. A library should NOT be "in loco
parentis", IMHO. However, libraries do have a duty to the tax
payers and ours wanted a filter. It breaks my heart that I'm
responsible for any kind of content filtering. But, after seeing
too many children and parents upset by what people were bringing
up and leaving on the screens, I began to see the necessity, no
matter how personally painful. I couldn't just stand around and
let grown men bring up erotic and pornographic materials on the
screen and look around for children they could expose to the 
material. Until the general public respects those around them,
particularly children, your theory can't hold true.

So much for that "A" I received in my Intellectual Freedom
Seminar in library school ... :-)

Erin
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Erin M. Noll                  Kenton County Public Library              
Assistant Systems Librarian   5th and Scott Streets
enoll at kenton.lib.ky.us        Covington, KY  41011
http://www.kenton.lib.ky.us/  v. (606)491-7610  f.(606)655-7960
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