I am very sceptical of filtering software. I have had
experience of Cyber Patrol (though not here at UEA) and I
found that the number of innocent sites it refused access
to outweighed any benefit. If we are restricting legitimate
exchange of information, we are failing in our duty just as
much as if we allow uncontrolled access to material we may
find offensive.
And by the way, I strongly object to your categorisation of
mature students as humourless and computer illiterate. If
sexism and racism are offensive, is not ageism too
(although admittedly this is quite mild in comparison to
some)?
Michael
Michael Robbins,
Senior Library Assistant,
University of East Anglia Library,
Norwich,
NR4 7TJ
Tel: 01603 592437/592421
On Tue, 13 Mar 2001 10:20:16 -0000 Lindsay Wallace
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Surely as librarians you make professional decisions every day about the
> suitability of material for your users, clearly in academic institutions
> this is in consultation with teachers/lecturers, but you would not provide
> pornographic, racist material just because someone asked for it, although
> you may direct them to an appropriate source perhaps in a closed collection.
>
>
> We are taking the same decisions with the use of filters. Before we had a
> filter in my last college, and when my colleague (a professional newly
> qualified librarian) was supporting a student she inadvertently retrieved
> information which from the page headings was clearly either racist,
> pornographic or both. She was upset by this as was the young Asian student
> she was supporting. Had it been a mature student with less sense of humour
> and understanding of how search engines worked they could have been
> extremely offended.
>
> I have also heard from colleagues the kind of (mis)use undergraduate
> students make of computers provided for learning during the evening at some
> universities - I'm sure all colleges have their share of the sexually
> frustrated! I would not want to staff a centre in such conditions, and I
> would support my staff in wishing to be shielded from such harassment.
>
> I also know of a teaching colleague in another college who had a middle aged
> male student surfing for porn during an evening class where most of the
> students were under 18. Neither she nor I would support censorship, but we
> both wish to avoid such situations in our working lives.
>
> I will continue to support the use of filters especially in learning
> environments.
>
> Lindsay Wallace
> Learning Resources Manager
> Luton Sixth Form College Tel: 01582 412005
> Bradgers Hill Road Fax: 01582 486307
> Luton LU2 7EW email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Roome, Nickie [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> > Sent: Monday, March 12, 2001 6:22 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Internet Filtering Software Summary
> >
> > I agree with Ellie's comments:
> >
> > Ellie wrote:
> >
> > > Personally I feel that the use of filtering software in libraries
> > (public,
> > > commercial, academic) goes against our code of conduct
> > > (http://www.la-hq.org.uk/directory/about/conduct.html) "members have an
> > > obligation to facilitate the flow of information and ideas and to
> > protect
> > > and promote the rights of every individual to have free and equal access
> > > to
> > > sources of information without discrimination and within the limits of
> > the
> > > law."
> > >
> > > More importantly, filtering software is never truly "fit for purpose"
> > and
> > > will always stop access to legitimate sites whilst allowing pornography
> > > and
> > > hate speech through. Figures of "66% of [offensive] material blocked"
> > are
> > > hardly a ringing endorsement.
> > >
> > > I would be interested to hear what any other librarians think.
> > >
> > ---------
> > Unfortunately, those who run our institutions of learning seem to
> > be
> > in favour of this kind of restriction of information flow.
> >
> > It isn't quite as dramatic as book burning but still.....
> >
> > Nickie Roome
> >
> --
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