[WEB4LIB] Bad things on the Internet, Censorship, and Technol ogy.

[Minkel, Walter (Cahners -NYC)]

Yeah, but. If library staff are patrolling around looking at everything I &
others are looking at, that tells me that the government (most libs are govt
institutions, after all) can invade my privacy any time it likes. Having
someone look over my shoulder while I work (or just enjoy myself) at a PC
makes me extremely uncomfortable. I thought libraries _wanted_ users to feel
welcome. The percentage of abusers, if the library enforces behavior
problems consistently, is quite low in most places in my experience. --W

------------------------------
Walter Minkel
wminkel at cahners.com * (212) 463-6721
Technology Editor, _School Library Journal_

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	James Cayz [SMTP:cayz at lib.de.us]
> Sent:	Thursday, May 13, 1999 7:42 PM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	[WEB4LIB] Bad things on the Internet, Censorship, and
> Technology.
> 
	<snip>

> But, has anyone *recently* thought about alternatives to filters to reach
> the original goal?
> 
> How about "The Library and the Community support and fund staff to
> identify users and monitor their activity.  Inappropriate activity will be
> terminated.  Repeated terminations will be grounds for access suspension."
> No technology needed (other than the computer and GUI browser).  Just the
> expense of hiring a HUMAN to do the ID check and monitor the activity.
> It can be as easy as walking behind the screens.  Or as complex as having 
> the screens daisychained to a single monitor with a timed rollover
> display.
> 
> I will contend that a HUMAN can make a better value judgement on what is
> appropriate for the local community than a piece of software.  Perhaps it
> isn't as efficient as software, nor is it as cheap as software, but it
> will be better.<snip>