It is quite normal [indeed healthy] for children to want to access 'forbidden' knowledge as they grow up.
Whether that be Lady Chatterley, Oz Comic, The Exorcist, the chest-burst scene in Alien or 'that' Judy Blume novel.
Parents must take some responsibility for material which their child is accessing in a public arena which [by definition, literally] is there to provide the widest possible breadth of material to the widest possible demographic - Of course children must be protected from the things and the people that will/want to harm them, but there will ALWAYS be things in any public library which are unsuitable and it is a parents responsibility to have participation in their childs 'selection' process. 
 
No web content filter can ever be 100% effective and children will always test themselves by trying to circumvent restrictions - and again that is a healthy part of growing up. Note the recent hacker attacks on the Sony PS3 which seem to be have been prompted by nothing more than Sony stating [rather arrogantly] that the PS3 was 'unhackable'.
 
In Notts, and presumably elsewhere, parents must give permission [in one way or another] for their child to use the Internet, and that permission should include some sense of just what it is they are consenting to - both good and bad.
Steve

Steve Powell BA (Hons) MCLIP
Team Librarian
Libraries, Archives and Information
Children, Families & Cultural Services
Nottinghamshire County Council

Based at:
Retford Library
Churchgate
Retford
Notts
DN22 6PE
Tel - 01777 708724
[log in to unmask]

You can follow nottslibraries on Twitter and Facebook

-----"lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: -----

To: [log in to unmask]
From: Helen Leech <[log in to unmask]>
Sent by: "lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 10/05/2011 10:16 AM
Subject: Saw on Youtube


We've had a complaint from the mother of a child who was using a public access terminal in one of our libraries to watch Saw film clips on Youtube, with lots of gruesome detail.

It's an interesting problem.  Saw is rated 18, goodness knows what the trailers are rated, and we don't know exactly which clips the child was watching.  We use Websense which filters out "violence", but it obviously doesn't filter Youtube.  Youtube has a policy which says "Graphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed."  It has a reporting system so that you can flag up problem videos, but clearly they don't think Saw falls into that category.

We're trying to work out how to respond to the mother.  I'd be really interested to hear from you if you've handled a similar issue.

Many thanks
Helen Leech
Surrey Library Service
(apologies for cross-posting)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  

This email and any attachments with it are intended for the
addressee only. It may be confidential and may be the subject of
legal and/or professional privilege.
If you have received this email in error please notify the
sender or [log in to unmask]
The content may be personal or contain personal opinions and
cannot be taken as an expression of the County Council's position.
Surrey County Council reserves the right to monitor all incoming
and outgoing mail. Whilst every care has been taken to check this
e-mail for viruses, it is your responsibility to carry out any
checks upon receipt.

Visit the Surrey County Council website -
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Emails and any attachments from Nottinghamshire County Council are confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by replying to the email, and then delete it without making copies or using it in any other way. Senders and recipients of email should be aware that, under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the contents may have to be disclosed in response to a request.

Although any attachments to the message will have been checked for viruses before transmission, you are urged to carry out your own virus check before opening attachments, since the County Council accepts no responsibility for loss or damage caused by software viruses.

Nottinghamshire County Council Legal Disclaimer