Oklahoma Library Bans E-Mail, Gaming, and Chat

Stevie M. Cohen writes “Warned by local law enforcement that registered sex offenders are using library computers to contact minors, the board of the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, Oklahoma, has voted to prohibit e-mail and noneducational online gaming, effective July 1, according to this article from the Enid News & Eagle. Approved in April, the policy change came two months after trustees implemented an immediate ban on access to all chat rooms as well as the retention of records of patrons’ internet use for a year.”

May 7, 2005 by Uncategorized 2

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2 Responses

  1. Anonymous Patron says:
    May 7, 2005 at 3:36 pm

    Quote
    The quote comes from ALA Online

    Reply
  2. Brian G. says:
    May 7, 2005 at 6:26 pm

    Digital Divide Grows in Oklahoma
    Why would a library ban email usage, since they are already recording who is using the computers?

    If you don’t have a computer at home…
    Don’t go to this Oklahoma library if you are using a free email account in your job hunts. Forgot filling out the FAFSA online, since the password is sent to you by email. If the library printers are not working, forgot about emailing the results to yourself.

    I wonder if this library sends out email notices for holds and overdues? That would be a contradiction in philosophies of service.

    The library has already intiated a log-in routine to records user access. Now they are going to put the burden on librarians and staff to stand near the computers to yell at people looking at their email. I would not want to now what patrons are doing.

    Reply

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