Internet porn at library argued

Internet porn at library argued
Governing board rejects viewing ban, adopts 'safe' policy.
By Ed Fletcher - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, March 23, 2007

Libraries around the country are struggling with whether the need to protect children and other patrons outweighs the rights of visitors to view legally protected pornographic images on library computers.

That debate simmered Thursday in Sacramento, with the board governing the Sacramento Public Library ultimately adopting an Internet-use policy aimed at maintaining a "safe, welcoming and comfortable environment."

The policy, described by one member as "squishy as warm cinnamon cookies," seemed to please none of the members.

Some members of the nine-member Sacramento Public Library Authority Board fought to ban the viewing of pornographic materials on library computers, while others said the new language creates a standard that violates First Amendment free-speech protections.

"If we make pornographic material available, we are inviting pedophiles into our libraries," said Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters, who sits on the library board.

Countering, Supervisor Roger Dickinson, also a board member, said, "There is no definition of pornography" and creating one opens the door to legal challenges.

The library's existing policy -- in place since 2004 -- allows adults and minors with adult permission to request "unfiltered" Internet access.

The unfiltered status, bypassing the content screening program, lasts one computer session. Throughout the library's 26 branches, less than 1 percent of computer sign-ins are unfiltered, according to library records.

Across the nation, library Internet policies vary. Some offer unfiltered access in adult-use areas, some allow unfiltered access upon request, and others have chosen to provide only filtered access, said Deborah Caldwell Stone, deputy director of American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

"Every community is going to have different needs," said Stone. She argued that filtered-only is not a good approach.

She said computer programs aimed at filtering "inappropriate" content sometimes can block too much or too little.

"The faults of filtering are such that they shouldn't be imposed on everyone," Stone said.

In a series of decisions, the local library board has taken steps to protect children from what others may be viewing.

In 2006, the library system installed privacy screens on each of its roughly 400 computers in public areas. Despite those efforts, there have been patron complaints.

In the last 13 months, four Sacramento Public Library patrons reported seeing images on another user's computer monitor offensive enough to prompt library security to take action.

That is a small fraction of the 129 computer-related incidents, over that time period. The other 125 incidents were behavior-related, officials said.

City Council and board member Bonnie Pannell said she was swayed by a recent incident in Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

Earlier this month, a 34-year-old pastor of a small south Sacramento church was arrested after an alleged attempt was made to sexually assault a 13-year-old boy in the library restroom.

The boy escaped and immediately reported the alleged attack to library officials, police said.

A press release from the Sacramento Police Department made no mention of the man viewing pornography before the incident.

The new policies continue the direction in which the library system has been moving.

Library Director Anne Marie Gold said Thursday the library will have a new computer desk aimed at increasing user privacy at each of the 26 branches, with two new desks at the main library.

The new desks will have computer monitors hidden beneath a shaded glass panel on the desk surface.

The library board -- composed of City Council members and county supervisors -- had no problem with the computer desks.

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy wondered why more would not be purchased.

The big issues were the language of the new policy and the question of whether to allow any unfiltered access.

The most hotly debated new sentence reads: "If library staff become aware of subject matter that would interfere with the maintenance of a safe, welcoming and comfortable environment for the public, the Internet user will be asked to end a search or change a screen."

Nearly a dozen members of the public also weighed in, and their views were diverse.

Michael Sands, a local attorney, said "safe and welcoming" left too much to guesswork.

"It can be interpreted differently by different people," Sands said.

Motions by Peters and Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan to ban viewing of pornography and to put off the decision until July each failed on 5-4 votes.

The motion to accept the staff recommendation passed on a 6-3 vote.

Matthew McReynolds, an attorney appearing on behalf of the Pacific Justice Institute, had mixed feelings about the decision.

"It's a small step in the right direction," McReynolds said. "It just doesn't go far enough to protect children."