The Children’s Internet Protection Act went into effect April 20, accompanied by protests organized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation at federal buildings in Pleasonton, California, and Central Islip, New York. At the same time, libraries across the United States were deciding whether to comply with CIPA and install Internet filters by the deadline of October 28, forgo e-rate subsidies entirely, or await the outcome of lawsuits filed by the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Everett (Wash.) Public Library approved a plan April 17 to spend $50,000 on software that requires library computer users to enter a personal identification number before logging on to the Internet. Director Mark Nesse said in the April 18 Everett Herald that the software identifies users under 18 and gives them only the level of access authorized by their parents.
The San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library is waiting to see what will happen with the litigation, according to the April 19 San Antonio Express-News. Public Information Officer Beth Graham said the library gets between $65,000 and $85,000 in e-rate funding that will be jeopardized if CIPA is upheld in court.
James Casey, director of the Oak Lawn (Ill.) Public Library, said in the April 20 Chicago Daily Southtown that his library uses monitoring, observation, and sign-in policies to regulate use, and filtering software is only used on children’s Internet stations. “We feel that what we’re doing right now is very, very good and very responsive to the overall spirit of the Internet protection act,” Casey said.
Posted April 23, 2001.