LISNews: Librarian News

The Battle Continues in Rochester NY. The Central Library of Rochester today is expected to extend a ban on viewing explicit Web sites there as it grapples with establishing an Internet policy that appeases Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and saves millions in county aid from the chopping block.

The library has been under fire from Brooks over a longstanding policy that let patrons, upon request, unblock potentially inappropriate or pornographic Web sites. The library says the policy complies with federal law and free speech.

Yet Brooks counters that the library isn't required by federal law to unblock Web sites deemed inappropriate. She is threatening to strip $6.6 million in county aid to the Central Library, a cut that would likely force it to close. Brooks' response was spurred by a television report that showed people viewing pornography on the library's computers.

One From Rochester, NY where The debate involves Internet access at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County specifically, County Executive Maggie Brooks' threat to pull funding unless the library stops allowing adult patrons to view pornographic and other sites blocked by its filtering system.

More than 100 people turned out Thursday at the downtown library for the first of three public forums organized by city-county task force addressing the issue.

Roughly one-third of the audience spoke, with comments running 2-to-1 in favor of allowing adults to request such access.

Seth Finkelstein writes "LISnews'ers may enjoy my recent column discussing
COPA
and censorware:

"If a control system works for parents using it for what teenagers can
see, it will work for governments using it for what citizens can
see. Likewise, if citizens can escape government control of what they
can read, teenagers will be able to escape parental control of what
they can read. Now, pick one.""

Libraries around the country are struggling with whether the need to protect children and other patrons outweighs the rights of visitors to view legally protected pornographic images on library computers.

That debate simmered Thursday in Sacramento, with the board governing the Sacramento Public Library ultimately adopting an Internet-use policy aimed at maintaining a "safe, welcoming and comfortable environment."