ALA Leaders Meet to Develop CIPA Implementation Strategies

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2003/september2003/alaleadersmeet.cfm

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Posted September 1, 2003.

ALA Leaders Meet to Develop CIPA Implementation Strategies

Some 30 librarians and American Library Association staff members met at ALA Headquarters in Chicago August 23 for an all-day session to discuss the Association’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of the Children’s Internet Protection Act. ALA President Carla Hayden stressed that the purpose of the meeting was not to set policies, but to take a “first step” to develop a plan addressing short-term needs as well as to begin work on a long-range strategy.

The participants, representing various ALA divisions and committees, began by brainstorming to determine priority areas on which to concentrate over the coming year. After identifying four priority areas—criteria for filters/compliance/implementation, communication/public relations, political/legislative, and research/data collection—they then broke into small groups to discuss approaches to address each area.

Among the trickier considerations was ALA’s role in regard to the manufacturers of Internet filters. Since ALA policy is to oppose the use of filters in libraries, Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels said the Association’s message must include “a way to acknowledge our constant opposition to filters.” Fiels stated that its antifilter stand shouldn’t preclude ALA developing criteria for filters and then evaluating software based on those standards, noting that “we don’t support floods, but we help libraries that are flooded.”

After the meeting, Hayden issued a list of next steps, which included:

gathering information on the costs of implementing filters
beginning the development of criteria and tools for evaluating filters
providing libraries with information on how to meet CIPA’s implementation requirements
developing a communications plan to keep ALA members informed on new resources and educating the public about Internet safety, and
working with ALA chapters to oppose state-level filtering laws.

Posted September 1, 2003.