Beginning July 1, youngsters under 18 will need the written permission of a parent or guardian to use Internet workstations at the Orange County (Calif.) Public Library. But the library won't monitor children who surf with an adult's consent, Orange County Librarian John Adams revealed.
"We feel that it's the parents' responsibility to supervise their children's activity, rather than just letting the child log on," Adams told the Los Angeles Times June 23. The paper reported that adults and children share access to a single computer in all but two of OCL's 27 facilities.
Once extra computers are installed in the children's areas, County Supervisor Todd Spitzer expects OCL to begin blocking youngsters' access to explicit sites and to continue requiring minors who want to use unfiltered machines to produce written parental permission.
Posted June 29, 1998.