To Filter or Not to Filter

The Chicago Sun Times has added to the filtering debate with this article.


\”You want your Internet straight up or filtered?\”



\”While many library patrons may not realize it, the answer depends on the library they visit. In Chicago, access to the Internet is free of computer programs that screen out possibly objectionable material, such as full-frontal nudity.

In Schaumburg, the Internet at the library comes filtered.\”

The Chicago Sun Times has added to the filtering debate with this article.


\”You want your Internet straight up or filtered?\”



\”While many library patrons may not realize it, the answer depends on the library they visit. In Chicago, access to the Internet is free of computer programs that screen out possibly objectionable material, such as full-frontal nudity.

In Schaumburg, the Internet at the library comes filtered.\”

\”Internet access in the library puts librarians in an unusual spot.

Before, librarians determined which books and materials were on their shelves.

Madonna and Robert Mapplethorpe\’s books might make the cut, but not hard-core pornography.\”

\”But when the Internet streams unfettered into their libraries, librarians aren\’t making those decisions.

Many librarians don\’t view Internet pornography as a big issue, saying they get few complaints. And some librarians question whether filters are effective and worry that they impinge on First Amendment rights.\”