Most of the complaints relating to Internet use in the library arise from the ease of access that children have to pornographic sites. While the law prohibits minors from buying pornographic magazines or borrowing films for adults, no one is able to control their access to comparable Internet sites. Some Web site owners demand that users enter their date of birth in order to verify age, but almost everyone knows how to ensure that their age is over 18!
Parents’ first reaction is to ask for filters. Be careful. According to the law:
“All persons in Canada have the fundamental right, as embodied in the nation’s Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity, and to express their thoughts publicly.” [1]
Consequently, if the library decides to install filters on all its computers, it has to allow persons who do not want to use filters to disable them. One possibility is to install filters only on the computers used by children, in order to limit their access to inappropriate material. For complete information on the various filters available, consult the document Filtering Tools: An Introduction in the right sidebar.
Whatever the decision of the library, the filters must block all material considered illegal by the Canadian Criminal Code. Children and their parents need to be told that filters do not block all inappropriate and illegal sites. Library users must also understand the way filters work and the implications of using them. Most filtering software uses a list of keywords, and this method can block access to a number of valuable or educational sites, because the meaning of a word changes according to the context in which it is used. In addition, a filter is not neutral; it works according to certain values on which there is not necessarily consensus.
The use or non-use of filters raises a number of questions linked to intellectual freedom, censorship and safety. Many ask whether it is relevant to use a technological solution to address a social or ethical question; they advocate for public education. Others consider that using a filter allows the library to make the environment safe for children, and they take filters to be a useful complement to an educational approach.
Other practical solutions provide more consensus – for example, the installation of screen protectors on computers without filters. These screens limit, without completely blocking, children’s inadvertent views of inappropriate material.
Despite these initiatives, the responsibility for controlling and determining kids’ access to the available resources of the Internet lies with parents. It is important that an Internet use policy makes clear this responsibility and that the library informs and guides parents in fulfilling their supervisory role. Above all, adults must help children to develop a critical spirit and must teach them to behave responsibly and safely online.
[1] Canadian Library Association. Statement on Intellectual Freedom, in Net Safe; Net Smart: Managing & Communicating About the Internet in the Library, 2000. p. 2. Viewed online, on March 11, 2004
Managing the Internet in the Library
[Internet Use Policy] [Filters at the Library] [Laws and Regulations] [Best Practices]
Communications and Promotion Toolkit
