I am writing today regarding the “Protesting against porn” article which appeared in the May 30 Herald. I don’t think anyone is willing to step out and cheer for the pro-pornography side of the argument, but I for one am willing to speak out against filtering.
Pornography doesn’t belong in libraries – this I will agree with. The problem is there’s no good way to remove it.
Filtering technologies are not 100 percent, they’re likely to let in a few pornographic sites, and even worse lock out sites that don’t contain pornography at all. Libraries have always been a gold mine for students who need to do a research paper. Internet access in libraries has made them even better. When John Doe, a student on a mission to research the mating cycles of fire ants, can’t get his material because a filter intended to protect the peace of mind of parents, then we have hurt the usefulness of our libraries.
There are other solutions – including private monitor enclosures. Let’s not limit the resource we have in public libraries.
Everett
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