August's American Libraries includes my editorial about state legislation based on the Supreme Court's American Library Association decision on the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) -- allowing the requirement of filters on library computers to receive government funding. Because the proposed state laws often go further than CIPA, "some libraries are likely to be put in an impossible position -- subject to both the federal standard and a competing state one."
In response to legislation which requires "prevention" rather than "protecting against access" to unwanted materials,
A prevention requirement would force librarians to act as both exemplary computer programmers and attorneys, determining which websites would and would not violate this law. . . . Even using the best filters on the market, some unwanted materials are bound to slip through the sieve. Librarians are professionals who make decisions, and they should not be held to an impossible standard.
Comments