Are our libraries beginning to listen to parents?
One library's new internet policy could be a model for others
From Kentucky Citizen Digest, Sept, 1997

Several years ago, the board of the Lexington Public Library refused to enact a policy to keep Madonna’s book, Sex, out of the hands of children, calling it “censorship.” They finally relented after pressure from the community

Now, the library is actively pursuing ways to protect children from unacceptable material on the Internet.

On July 23, the trustees passed a set of restrictions to help keep children from accessing pornography on the library’s forthcoming Internet program.  The restrictions include:

n    No access for children under 8

n    Restrictions for children 18 and under

n    No access for minors whose parents are opposed to access

In passing the policy, the library seems to be setting a new course on the issue of protecting children. The library has also shown its respect for the rights of parents in raising their children.  Most surprising is that the decision departs from the leadership of the American Library Association, which encourages its members not to give in to community pressure to protect children from harmful material.

Even the Kentucky chapter of the ACLU had to admit that it “strikes a balance,” in the words of one report, between freedom of speech and the protection of children.

The policy was the result of discussions by the library board’s technology committee. The committee wanted to have a policy in place before Internet access became available at library locations around Lexington.

The library plans to have 17 Internet stations available to the public. Six of these will be at the Central Library.

The policy says that Internet users may not “post, upload or transfer” illegal material and are prohibited from displaying obscene text or images.
 

Key Family Foundation Contacts: Kent Ostrander, Executive Director Martin Cothran, Senior Associate Policy Analyst