Library sex offender incident fuels Internet filter push

[Thom Little]

By Abby Simons
Des Moines Register
Monday, Nov. 21, 2005


A homeless sex offender accused of molesting a toddler in a Des Moines library restroom last month told police he used library computers to view pornography many times.

Even if that's true, James Effler Jr. didn't violate any laws or break library rules. The Effler case gives fuel to groups that push for Internet filters intended to block pornographic Web sites at libraries - a position opposed by some librarian associations despite the risk of losing federal money.

"This is a sad thing. Children are being raped and molested in public libraries, and it's often a result of pornography being available to people in public libraries," said Dan Kleinman. He is the founder of the Chatham, N.J.-based Plan 2 Succeed citizens group, which largely opposes the American Library Association's position and seeks to filter library computers. "It's reoccurring in these communities. It's not frequent, but reoccurring."

.......

The Iowa Library Association, though, supports open access to legal information, said President Katherine Martin, head of collection management and special services at the University of Northern Iowa's Rod Library. Martin said that includes legal pornography, if other library patrons are protected from seeing the material. Most pornography is legal, but sexually oriented material depicting minors is illegal.



http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051121/NEWS01/511210330/1001&lead=1

[Bluzmann57]

1. My sister works for a city library system in Illinois

And she told me that viewing pornography is forbidden at all libraries in her system. Anyone caught viewing porno on library computers is banned from using them and also put on a list distributed to other libraries around the area. So far, she has had to ban only one guy, who kept coming back and trying over and over.

[CornField]

2. I might be the only one

But my feelings are "Let my information go!" Two reasons:

1) This is a moral problem, not a legal one.

2) There are no 'filters' which are fool-proof.

I've yet to find a filter or net-nanny software which my 13-year-old can't bypass, much less a savy adult. There is also the problem of legitimate content being labeled as porn. For instance, AOL's filtering software had black listed a breast cancer support group.

If we allow our libraries to be overcome by the thought police in any way, we are opening the door for our libraries to be overcome by the thought police in every way.