ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 96 / C&RL News ■ February 1999 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s news In tern et safety issu es T he c h a lle n g e s a n d o p p o r tu n itie s th ey p r e s e n t by Ann K. Symons O n e o f t h e m o s t c h a lle n g in g — if n o t th e m o s t c h a l le n g in g — is s u e s f a c in g o u r p r o f e s s io n is s a fe g u a r d in g c h ild r e n o n th e I n te r n e t w ith o u t s a c r ific in g o u r F irst A m e n d ­ m e n t rig h t to r e c e iv e in fo r m a tio n . I b e lie v e th at th e m o s t im p o rtan t p rin cip le, o n e th a t fo rm s th e v e ry fo u n d a tio n fo r lib ra ry s e r v ic e , is in te lle c tu a l fr e e d o m . T h a t is w h y I s e le c te d “C e le b r a tin g th e F r e e d o m to R ead ! Learn! C o n n e c t!” as th e th e m e fo r m y y e a r as p r e s id e n t o f th e ALA. T h e th e m e h a s p r o v e d to b e a tim ely o n e as a c c e s s to th e Internet, p articu larly c h ild re n ’s a c c e s s in th e lib rary , h a s o p e n e d a n a tio n a l d is­ c u s s io n a n d g a lv a n iz e d th e lib rary c o m m u n ity as fe w iss u e s h av e. M a n y p a r e n ts a r e fr ig h te n e d a n d th e y a r e lo o k in g fo r so lu tio n s. O fte n th e y f e e l in s e c u r e b e c a u s e th e y m a y n o t b e as te ch n o lo g ic a lly p ro ficien t as th eir ch ild ren . T h e u se o f filte r in g s o ftw a r e in lib r a r ie s is th e s o lu tio n m o st fre q u e n tly a d v o ­ c a te d b y th o s e w h o c la im th e y s e e k to p ro te c t c h ild r e n fr o m w h a t is c o m m o n ly r e fe r r e d to a s “th e d a r k s id e o f th e I n te r n e t.” B u t d e e p e r issu es a re involved. In th e U n ite d S ta te s , lo c a l lib r a ry b o a r d s h a v e a lw a y s m a d e th e ir o w n p o lic ie s re g a rd ­ in g lib rary u s e a n d c o lle c tio n s . T o d a y th at tra­ d ition is in je o p a rd y b e c a u s e w e ll-m ea n in g b u t ill-in fo rm e d p o litic ia n s w a n t to “p r o te c t” c h il­ d ren b y m an d atin g th e u s e o f filtering so ftw a re in lib r a r ie s . N o t s u rp r is in g ly , ALA d o e s n o t e n d o r s e th e u s e o f s o ftw a r e filte rs in lib r a rie s . F ilte rs d o , in fa c t, b l o c k u s e fu l in fo rm a tio n a n d th e y d o n o t b lo c k all m aterial th at s o m e fin d o ffe n ­ s iv e . T h e ALA b e lie v e s filte r in g m a n d a te s fo r lo c a l lib ra rie s a re n o t o n ly in a p p r o p ria te , th e y v io la te b a s ic d e m o c r a tic p r in c ip le s o f fr e e s p e e c h an d self-g o v ern an ce. T h e ALA is in f a c t p la y in g a l e a d e r s h i p r o le in e d u c a tin g p a r e n ts a b o u t th e I n te r n e t a n d p r o v id in g q u a lit y s it e s f o r c h ild r e n , e v e n a s w e s e e k to u p ­ h o ld F ir s t A m e n d m e n t r ig h ts in c y b e r s p a c e . T h e s e e f f o r t s , i n ­ c lu d in g t h e 7 0 0 + G r e a t S ite s f o r K id s a n d t h e K id s C o n n e c t in fo r ­ m a t io n - h e lp s e r v i c e , h a v e b e e n r e c o g n i z e d in t h e W a s h in g t o n P o s t, P a r a d e m a g a z in e , th e “T o ­ d a y S h o w , ” a n d o t h e r m e d ia a c r o s s t h e n a tio n . T o d a y ’s ch ild ren a n d teen ag ers a r e t h e s tu d e n ts o f to m o r r o w in y o u r c o lle g e s a n d u n iv e rsitie s. As lib r a r ia n s — w h e t h e r p u b li c , a c a d e m i c , o r s c h o o l— w e h a v e a re s p o n s ib ility to h e lp fin d a n s w e rs ; a n s w e rs th a t w ill b o th a lla y p a r e n ts ’ fe a r s a n d a t th e s a m e tim e , p r o te c t o u r c o r e v a lu e o f in te lle c tu a l fr e e d o m . J u s t a s p a r e n ts m u s t g u id e t h e ir c h ild r e n in w h a t t h e y c a n w a t c h o n T V , b u y a t s h o p ­ p i n g m a lls , a n d d o a f t e r s c h o o l , t h e y m u s t t e a c h t h e ir c h ild r e n w h a t th e y f e e l is a c c e p t ­ a b l e f o r t h e m t o v ie w o n t h e W e b . T h e o p ­ p o r tu n ity t o h e l p a d u lts le a r n h o w t o g u id e A b o u t t h e a u t h o r A n n K. Sym ons is p re sid e n t o f th e A m erica n L ib ra ry A sso cia tio n a n d lib raria n a t Ju n ea u -D o u g la s (A la ska) H igh S ch o o l; e-m ail: sym ons@ aiaska.net mailto:symons@aiaska.net C&RL News • Feb ruary 1999 / 97 c h ild r e n in u s in g t h e I n t e r n e t is o n e o f th e m o s t e x c it i n g o p p o r t u n i t ie s o u r p r o f e s s i o n h a s to d a y . T h e d e b a t e o v e r I n t e r n e t a c c e s s w ill, n o d o u b t , c o n t i n u e f o r m a n y y e a r s . A n d it s h o u ld . P r o v id in g c h i ld r e n a n d a d u lts w ith t h e v e r y b e s t i n f o r m a t io n , w h e t h e r it is in p r in t o r o n t h e I n t e r n e t , is w o r t h y o f th is d e b a t e a n d all o u r b e s t e ffo r ts . I b e lie v e w e lib r a ria n s w ill u ltim a te ly w in t h e d e b a t e a s m o r e p a r e n ts a n d a d u lts b e ­ c o m e c o m f o r t a b l e w ith th is r e l a t iv e l y n e w t e c h n o l o g y a n d u n d e r s t a n d t h e im p o r t a n t p r i n c i p le s in v o lv e d . I a l s o b e l i e v e t e c h n o l ­ o g y w ill e v o lv e to a d d r e s s m a n y o f o u r c o n ­ cern s. B u t it m a y n o t b e s o o n a n d it w ill m o s t c e r ta in ly n o t b e e a sy . T h o s e o f u s in p u b lic a n d s c h o o l lib r a rie s a r e m o s t d ir e c tly o n th e fr o n tlin e s in d e a lin g w ith th is is s u e . I u r g e y o u , m y c o lle a g u e s in a c a d e m ic libraries, to a lso ta k e a leadersh ip role b y s p o n s o r in g In te rn e t “te a c h -in s ” a n d jo in in g in c o m m u n ity d is c u s s io n s h e lp in g to e d u c a te y o u r c o lle a g u e s , facu lty, a n d stu d en ts. W e a re all in th is to g e th e r . I f w e a r e to w in th is in te l­ le c tu a l fr e e d o m b a ttle , w e n e e d y o u r su p p o rt. I l o o k fo rw a rd to w o r k in g w ith y o u a s w e fo rg e n e w a n d e x c itin g p ro g ra m s a n d p o lic ie s th a t e n s u r e th e n e x t g e n e r a tio n o f lib r a ry u s ­ e rs e n jo y s e q u ita b le a n d fr e e a c c e s s to in fo r ­ m a tio n . ■ Photo contest to highlight National Library Week C o lleg e an d university libraries a re invited to jo in in s p o n s o r in g a B e y o n d W o r d s: C e l­ e b r a t in g A m e r ic a 's L ib r a r ie s P h o to C o n test, s p o n s o r e d b y th e ALA a n d th e L ib rary o f C o n g r e s s fo r N a tio n a l L ib rary W e e k , April 9 - 1 6 , 1999. T h e th e m e o f th is y e a r ’s N atio n al Library W e e k is “R ead ! L earn ! C o n n e c t! @ th e Li­ b r a r y .” “N a tio n a l L ib r a ry W e e k c e l e b r a t e s o u r f r e e d o m to r e a d , l e a r n , a n d c o n n e c t t o a s p e c t r u m o f in f o r m a t i o n a t o u r n a t i o n ’s l i b r a r i e s , ” s a y s A n n K. S y m o n s , ALA p r e s id e n t , 1 9 9 8 - 9 9 . “T h e p h o t o c o n t e s t is d e ­ s ig n e d to c a p tu r e th e sp irit o f o u r n a t i o n ’s lib r a r ie s a n d h o w t h e y e n r i c h o u r liv e s e v e r y d a y .” A m a te u r , p r o f e s s i o n a l , a n d y o u th -a g e p h o to g r a p h e r s a r e in ­ v ited to e n te r th e c o n te s t, w h ic h is u n d e r w r itte n b y In g r a m L ib rary S e r v ic e s . M o r e th a n $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 in p riz e s, in c lu d in g a $ 1 ,5 0 0 G r a n d P riz e w ill b e aw arded. P h o to g ra p h e rs m u st e n te r a t lo c a l lib ra r­ i e s — a c a d e m ic , p u b lic , o r s c h o o l. L ib ra rie s m u st fo rw a rd th e ir fir s t-p la c e w in n e r s to ALA fo r n a tio n a l ju d g in g b y M ay 1. N a tio n a l w in n e rs w ill b e a n n o u n c e d in Ju n e . L ib raries o f all ty p e s a r e a ls o e n c o u r a g e d to u s e N a tio n a l L ib rary W e e k as a tim e to h o s t In te rn e t “te a c h -in s ” a s p art o f th e o n g o ­ in g A m e rica L in ks U p c a m p a ig n s p o n s o r e d b y ALA, th e U .S. D e p a r tm e n t o f E d u ca tio n , a n d a c o a litio n o f o rg a n iz a tio n s. Sym on s said th e “teach -in s” p ro v ide an o p ­ portu n ity to d em o n s tra te h o w librarian s h e lp e d u c a te p a r e n ts a n d c h ild r e n a b o u t t h e In te rn e t an d g u id e th e m to q u ality W e b sites. T h e A m e ric a L in ks U p c a m p a ig n k ic k e d o f f in S e p te m b e r w ith m o re th a n 2 5 0 libraries n a ­ tio n w id e h o ld in g “te a c h -in ” e v en ts. Id e a s a n d su g g e stio n s fo r c e le b r a tin g N a­ tion al Library W e e k a n d p h o to c o n te s t gu id e ­ lin es a re a v ailab le o n th e ALA W e b p a g e a t h ttp :/ / w w w .a la .o rg / cel­ eb ratin g. A fr e e p oster/ tip sh eet fo r th e p h o to c o n te s t is a v a ila b le fro m t h e ALA P u b lic In fo r m a tio n O f­ fic e , 5 0 E. H u r o n S t., C h ic a g o , IL 6 0 6 1 1 . T e le p h o n e : (8 0 0 ) 5 4 5 -2 4 3 3 , e x t . 5 0 4 4 / 4 0 4 1 . E - m a i l: p i o @ ala.o rg . T ip s fo r p la n n in g a “t e a c h - in ” c a n b e fo u n d o n th e ALA W e b site a t h ttp :/ / w w w .a la .o r g / te a c h -in . F o r m o r e in fo r m a tio n a b o u t th e A m e rica L in ks U p c a m p a ig n a n d to re g is te r, lib r a rie s s h o u ld s e e h ttp :/ / w w w .am ericalin k su p .o rg . N a tio n a l Library W e e k p r o m o tio n a l m a ­ terials, in clu din g colo rfu l p o sters, b o o k m a rk s, p e n c ils , a n d Read! Learn! C o n n e ct! la p e l pins a r e a v a ila b le fro m ALA G r a p h ic s . T o o rd e r, call ( 8 0 0 ) 5 4 5 -2 4 3 3 a n d p ress 7. F o r b u lk dis­ co u n ts, call ALA M arketing at (8 0 0 ) 5 4 5 -2 4 3 3 , e x t. 2427.-— L in d a W a lla c e , d ir e c t o r ALA P u b ­ lic In fo r m a t io n O ffic e, lw a lla c e @ a la .o r g http://www.ala.org/cel- http://www.ala.org/teach-in http://www.americalinksup.org mailto:lwallace@ala.org