In separate actions, the Georgia Library Association and the Montana Public Library Directors issued statements on July 24 declaring their opposition to the use of Internet blocking software on library computers.
GLA's statement asserts that it "cannot recommend the use of Internet filters in libraries and emphatically opposes attempts by federal and state governments to mandate their use." Instead, echoing a resolution passed earlier this year by the Kansas Library Association, the Georgia library group prefers that filtering decisions "must remain with local boards."
Underscoring the "principle of free and unrestricted access to information as the foundation of an informed citizenry in a democratic society," the Montana organization has declared its opposition to "broad mandates" to filter as "necessarily
block[ing] access to constitutionally protected speech . . . and plac[ing] prior restraints on a citizen's right to access information."
Posted August 3, 1998.