Florida County Considers Buying
Monitoring Software
Commissioners in Lee County, Florida, decided July 1 against installing filtering software on library computers. However, they asked library officials to consider software that would monitor patrons’ Internet use and alert staff when someone visits a site classified as pornographic.
A report in the July 2 Fort Myers News-Press said the issue was brought before the commissioners after a man arrested for possessing photos of underage girls having sex told police he had downloaded the images at the Cape Coral–Lee County Library.
Director Cynthia Cobb told American Libraries that the man’s story had not been proven and that library staff had received no reports of patrons viewing child porn sites. She did note that the library has implemented a time-out system to address complaints about patrons leaving behind pornographic images of adults on computer screens.
Cobb said the library administration and its information technology staff would investigate monitoring software and present a draft recommendation to the library advisory board July 23. The library will also examine placement of terminals and consider the board’s recommendations to implement a zero-tolerance policy and to require Internet users to present a library card or photo ID. Although Cobb said she understood the commissioners’ concerns, she added, “It’s how we do it within the law that’s the challenge.”
Posted July 8, 2002.
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