Librarian Suspended over Patrons' Web Access

bsw149 writes "The head librarian of the Valparaiso Community Library in Florida was suspended after investigators found that users had viewed adult content on public computers. While the library has a policy against viewing adult material on library computers, the librarian is facing possible dismissal. Is the best enforcement policy to hold librarians personally responsible for the materials patrons' access?"

Comments

Standard Policy?

[Zakir]

If someone reports the user to the librarian, the librarian walks over, what power do they have? The person will most likely close the window when they see the librarian. Is the librarian allowed to ask the person to leave or ask person to stop using the computer? Is there a standard policy for what to do, and the librarian isn't following it or does the person just make it up when they catch somebody?

Re:That's Stupid

[qw(name)]

It wasn't the librarian that's getting suspendeded. It's the "The director of the Valparaiso (Fla.) Community Library".

It looks like people are on a witch hunt since a registered sex offender downloaded child pornography from the library's website.

If anyone should be fired it should be the librarian on-duty sice he or she was not doing his or her duty of performing a walk-through of the area and monitoring all the computers.

From the article:

The Sun quoted a letter Martin had written to Billingsley in which she explained, "We continually enforce our policy by monitoring all computers. Any suspicious use is immediately checked by accessing the history of the patrons' Web use. In addition, the staff monitors the patrons' use by 'walkthroughs' of the computer areas."

Librarians

[Renraku]

I know an ex-head-librarian.

Let me tell you, if they have time to sit around and monitor users internet access all day, they are not doing their job.

You have a lot of responsibilities at that job, and one wrong step and everyone's clamoring for your resignation.

Consequently, she refused to use filtering software. Mainly because it was easy to get around and way too restrictive. Monitoring the internet usage should be done by the assistant librarians, but the head librarian is more worried about other stuff, like you know, making sure the library stays open.

Re:Very Deliberate

[mhearne]

In the past 40 years, we have gone from an industrial nation with a hard currency, to a paper nation of the pseudo-wealthy, and their neccessary servants.

Since the dollar began to float, in 1971, the buying power of that dollar has dropped by approximately 80 per cent. It has dropped 55 per cent since 2000 alone, when the present regime came to power.

Rome existed for 1,000 years, and was finally destroyed by uncontrolled immigration. There just wasn't enough to go around.

We may be past the point of a peaceful resolution to the totalitarianism that is overwhelming us. Historically, only violence has been a successful solution to dictatorship.

Why can't we look at "adult" images at the library

[_aa_]

Libraries are for grown-ups, too. Adult images aren't illegal. Libraries aren't day-care centers, although I think that's what some people expect them to be. If I am forbidden to look at boobies on the internet at my local library, will I soon be forbidden from looking at boobies on African tribeswomen in the National Geographic on the shelf behind the computer? Or at the boobies in a book on art? Or read a description of boobies in a poetry book? There's a whole bunch of adult situations in that there bible these assholes are always thumping. Maybe we should censor that, too.

In a million years, when the alien archeologists are picking through the remains of our society, they're going to have a hard time figuring out how we reproduced. "Well Xzgralfap, they documented the reproductive practices of every other species on the planet and labeled it 'biology'. But they're own reproductive practices were labeled 'pornography' and forbidden to be documented and studied by the ignorant."

I'm tired of it. Mary Carey for President, 2008. Her and Bill Clinton are the only two pro-pornography candidates I can think of. Don't forget to order your save the court kit, today!

I used to work at a public library and...

[aduzik]

Even in conservative northwest Iowa, the policy was very plain: you can look at anything you want, but you will be asked to look at something different, or asked to leave the computer if anyone complains.

And, they had what I consider to be one of the most sensible policies for monitoring children I've ever seen: for children under 13, a parent or other guardian *must* be present for the kid to be allowed to use the computers.

The rationale was, well, rational: as a parent, you know what you consider to be inappropriate for your child, so it's up to the parent to make the judgment call.

I haven't been back to Sioux City in quite some time, and I certainly haven't been in the library, so I'm not sure if they've changed their policies. What I really liked about their policies is that they accounted for the unspoken question of appropriateness: appropriate for whom? The courts are never going to be able to decide what little Johnny's parents think is appropriate for him, so let/force them to decide. That's why I think it's crazy that librarians are expected to parent other people's children for them while they're at the library.

Re:I find that amazing...

[slazar]

Not all libraries censor information. Some, like in my town of Santa Cruz, CA, have linux kiosk stations out in the open. This has the effect of preventing surfers from viewing porn because people can see the screens easily. Sometimes it happens though, and they have to ask them to stop. That's all.

Just a little while ago they put in some Linksys WRT54G access points and people come in with laptops. The WRT54G has custom firmware http://www.portless.net/menu/ewrt/ that gives a spash page with the TOS.