Sometimes someone asks if children are safe in the library. Knowing that the content of the Internet is not regulated, questions arise on issues related to children’s access to inappropriate content, the use of filters and sometimes even the relevance of offering Internet service at the library.

In this section, we present the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about access to the Internet. They have been suggested by the Canadian Library Association.[1] If you have additional questions you would like to suggest, please write us at info@media-awareness.ca.

Questions and Answers about Access to the Internet

Are libraries safe places for children?

Libraries have always been safe and welcoming places for children. Older children are used to coming to the library on their own. That’s why it is important to teach children how to make good decisions about what they read and view, no matter where they are.

Won’t computers and the Internet put libraries out of business?

On the contrary, we’ll need libraries more than ever! Polls indicate that the public agrees with this statement. For many children and adults, libraries are the only place they can go to surf the Internet. Librarians are experts at helping people find what they need on the Internet efficiently. Besides, libraries are places where people connect not just with books and computers but also with other people.

What is the community’s role in setting library policy?

The community plays an important role in establishing library policy. Most public libraries in Canada are managed by library boards made up of community representatives who serve as the policy-making body for the library. Librarians encourage public awareness and discussion of the important issues involved in Internet use.

Questions and Answers about Access to Pornographic Sites

Why do librarians allow kids to have access to pornography?

The Internet has many wonderful resources for children, but it is unregulated. Since there is no foolproof way to eliminate inappropriate material, libraries are taking special measures to instruct and protect children in their use of the Internet.

Are libraries having trouble with people looking at pornography?

It can happen, but it’s rare. When it does happen, the library staff apply the appropriate policies and procedures to maintain the library’s safe and welcoming environment. The fact is that the vast majority of children and adults continue to use the library responsibly and appropriately.

Why should tax dollars be used to support pornography at the library?

Your tax dollars support access to the most important information technology of our time. Less than two percent of almost one billion sites contain pornography. The vast majority of sites contain perfectly legitimate information.

Questions and Answers about the Use of Filters

What’s wrong with filters, anyway?

Filters can have a legitimate place in a broader program to protect children from inappropriate materials. However, filters do not guarantee that all inappropriate material will be blocked. They can also block useful material. Therefore they should be considered as only one element in the library’s program to provide Internet service in a safe and welcoming environment.

What is the solution to protecting children?

The very best way to protect children is to teach them to be their own filter – to teach them how to make wise decisions about what they view – whether they are at home, at a friend’s house or at the library. Most libraries offer guidance to children on how to search online and other tips for using the Internet safely. Librarians help guide children.

I understand the American Library Association (ALA) has taken a strong anti-filtering approach in its position statements and advice to its members. What is the Canadian position?

Like ALA, the Canadian Library Association (CLA) believes that the best and most reliable filter is a child’s parent or guardian, and that the values and skills of young people are the major means by which their well-being is safeguarded.

Many libraries distribute the CLA’s public education pamphlet, Have a Safe Trip: A Parent’s Guide to Safety on the Internet, which stresses the essential role of parental guidance to children using the Internet and urges parents to become actively involved in assisting children in accessing all resources available at the library. (See the right sidebar for the pamphlet.) Libraries look to the CLA for direction in forming access and usage policies. They take advantage of resources like the CLA Position Statement on Internet Access, which was developed in accordance with legal opinions based on the distinct Canadian legal framework, including the Criminal Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In its statement, CLA encourages libraries to offer Internet access with the fewest possible restrictions, but recognizes that filtering is simply one of several means available to deal with the issue of children and the Internet. The statement allows that filtering of terminals in children’s areas can coexist with full access elsewhere in the library and preserve a range of choice consistent with public library principles.

[1] Canadian Library Association (November 2000). Net Safe; Net Smart: Managing & Communicating About the Internet in the Library. “Getting Good Press: A Media Guide for Libraries: Effective Communications on Public Access to the Internet” – Sample questions and recommended responses on the subject of Internet access in the library, p.12 Consulted online on May 7, 2004


Managing the Internet in the Library

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