Virginia Supervisors Contemplate
Countywide Library Filtering
The Chesterfield County (Va.) Board of Supervisors approved May 23 the blocking of sexually explicit materials from 114 of the Chesterfield County Public Libraries’ 130 computers. Patrons under 18 will need parental permission to use an unfiltered machine. The decision is a reaction to a two-day audit of Internet use at the central library in November, which revealed that 2% of all online activity had been comprised of patrons accessing explicit sites at 24 different computers.
However, three supervisors are still opting for filtering all machines. Among them is board Chair Renny B. Humphrey, who said in the May 23 Richmond Times Dispatch, “I don’t want this type of recreational activity in a library.” Public hearings on the topic have been scheduled for June.
However, County Administrator Lane B. Ramsey has expressed concerns about legal liability for restricting cyber-access on all machines. “I am fairly confident we will be sued if we filter every computer,” he said, citing the 1998 overturning of a similar policy in Loudoun County, Virginia. Supervisor Jack McHale agreed, stating, “Mass punishment is always something that I find troubling.”
Posted May 28, 2001.
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