Unfiltered Internet access is being challenged at the Hennepin County (Minn.) Library after Minister Tom Brock saw several teenage girls at the Brookdale branch giggling over a computer screen of what he described as hard-core pornography.
Citing a number of residents who expressed concern over the incident, three members of the seven-member county board, which funds the library and appoints library board members, filed a request on June 2 asking the library board to reconsider its policy to not use filters or blocking software. A resolution supporting the request, which is supported by the Minnesota Family Council, is expected to be debated this month, reported the Minneapolis Star-Tribune June 6.
In a written response to Brock's complaint to the county board, library board president Patti Baskin explained the library's Internet policy, which includes the use of privacy screens and plans for family and children's technology centers where workstations are closely monitored.
Posted June 15, 1998.