According to the August 23 New York Times, the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens public library systems are all exploring methods of restricting children's access to sexually explicit materials on the Internet and will be meeting with city council minority leader Thomas V. Ognibene (R-Queens) in October to share their conclusions.
"Legislation would be a last resort," James S. Oddo, legal counsel to Ognibene, said, alluding to recent statements by council members that threatened the budgets of filter-free libraries. Oddo credited those statements for bringing the three systems' separate reviews of blocking software "to a boil."
Caroline Oyama of NYPL confirmed to the Times that Director of Branches Norman Holman had agreed to a meeting with Ognibene, and Joanne King of Queens Borough Public Library affirmed that Director Gary Strong intended to review restrictive software "as part of an ongoing process."
Posted September 7, 1998.