"Los Angeles Libraries Grapple With Online Pornography"

From an LA Times Article:

At a Los Angeles City Council committee meeting Tuesday, city librarian Martin Gomez said making computer use as private as possible is the best solution.

Gomez said all of the nearly 3,000 computers in the L.A. Public Library system are outfitted with screens that make it hard for bystanders to see the content, and librarians are working to reorient terminals so screens are less visible.

He said that library officials considered installing an Internet filter that would keep out obscene websites but that licensing fees are costly and the system is imperfect.

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Dan Kleinman, who runs the website SafeLibraries.org, said in a letter to city officials that such filters are necessary to keep library visitors safe. Privacy screens aren’t enough, he said.

In an interview, Kleinman, who lives in New Jersey, pointed out that libraries already have book selection policies and should have similar guidelines that determine what people can view online.

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Hat Tip and Thanks: Library Stuff

Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, Profiles, Public Libraries