American LibrariesSearch American Libraries  |
||
Site Navigation
Left Sidebar Items |
||
Starr Report Poses Problems for Libraries, Parents, and Web ServersConcurrently with the release of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom responded to the dilemma of parents—and librarians—pondering how to deal with the sensitive nature of its contents. "Should kids be allowed to see the Starr report online?" OIF's statement read. "That's for parents to decide. This is an excellent example of why it's important that parents talk to their children about what they see and view, whether it's in a book or on a computer screen. Children mature at different rates. It's important that the people who know them best--their parents--provide guidance. Librarians are ready to answer parents' questions about the Internet and help them guide their children." The Library of Congress's Thomas Web site, one of the sites where the report was initially posted September 11, expected massive traffic and resultant delays in responding. Online news sources such as CNN and MSNBC also reported a record-breaking number of hits. Some observers feared the unprecedented traffic would jam up the entire Web. Internet watchdog companies were not letting the event go by unnoticed. SafeSurf, an Internet rating organization, issued a press release saying it had advised the House Judiciary Committee on how to rate the report. Meanwhile, the question of whether libraries that use filtering software would even be able to access the report remained to be determined. Posted September 14, 1998. |
Right Sidebar
|
|
