American Library Association | Search ALA | Contact ALA | Give ALA | Join ALA | ALA FAQ | ALA Login

American Libraries

Site Navigation







Left Sidebar Items

Online Features
AL Twitter feed

Follow American Libraries news stories, videos, and blog posts on Twitter.

As Loudoun Case Ends,
Filter-Policy Author Shows Reporter Smut

At a Loudoun County (Va.) Library employee’s request, Virginia State Rep. Richard Black exited a sexually explicit Web site he was showing a reporter at a branch terminal. The incident took place April 20, the day after trustees decided not to appeal Judge Leonie Brinkema’s ruling that the library pay court fees for overturning the Internet filtering policy Black wrote while serving on the board.

In a letter to the press and the board, Black listed the URL of a site with “the most extreme sexual violence imaginable” that is “now available at your local library,” the Washington Post reported April 25. Several trustees responded by condemning Black’s use of an LCL computer “to access a site, selected solely for its shock value, as part of a staged media event.”

Meanwhile, in its announcement that it would not appeal Brinkema’s ruling, plaintiff Mainstream Loudoun said it would not donate any of the fees to LCL, noting that the judge “did just that when she slashed the award by 75%.”

Posted May 3, 1999.

Right Sidebar

AL Joblist
ALA Store





advertisement