In “Reader’s Block: Internet Censorship in Rhode Island Public Libraries,” Amy Myrick, state ACLU program and development coordinator, describes “a mixed, but surprisingly troubling, picture” of the use of internet filters in public libraries. Among the findings: Some libraries block material beyond the minimum needed for CIPA compliance; the statewide consortium Cooperating Libraries Automated Network has given libraries confusing information about the law and the filtering technology installed; and some libraries haven’t adequately made patrons aware of their legal right to access wrongly blocked information.
Myrick described one incident at the Providence Public Library when a librarian refused to remove a filter to allow her to look at sites about nudism. “She insinuated that I was looking at porn,” Myrick said in the April 21 Providence Journal. “I felt judged.” Providence PL Director Dale Thompson acknowledged that she wasn’t sure how her library was enforcing CIPA and told the newspaper she planned to discuss the issue at a staff meeting.
The report’s recommendations include using minimum-compliance filter settings, actively informing patrons of their options for filter-free computer use, and providing appropriate staff training.
Posted April 22, 2005.