Margita Lidaka LIS 701 10/30/2011

Intellectual Freedom in Public Libraries

Libraries have many roles within their community. They act as the community center, knowledge provider and resource holder among their many roles. With these complex roles, the library staff encounter many heated issues. One current issue that remains relevant is the issue of intellectual freedom in regards to Internet filtering. There is much debate over whether using Internet filters limits public access to information; thus censoring the accessible information to patrons. Others feel that it is necessary at times, especially when it comes to children. Overall, this paper will be taking the viewpoint that it is acceptable to use Internet filters in the library as long as they are not applied to all of the public computers within the building. The overall use of Internet filters on every public computer in a library would constitute a limit on intellectual freedom, as the public would be unable to access certain types of information on computers. Intellectual freedom is defined by Drasang as freedom to think or believe what one will, freedom to express ones thoughts and beliefs in unrestricted manners and means, and freedom to access information about ideas regardless of their content or viewpoints of the author(s) or the age, background, or beliefs of the receiver (qtd. in Rubin 169). This is even related to the First Amendment which not only provides Americans with the right to express themselves, it establishes a corollary right to receive the ideas of others (Rubin 379). So exclusive restriction of content through Internet filters would limit ones First Amendment rights. There can

even be issues with the filters used, as they could be biased to the developers/creators of the filters used. They could also unintentionally block unintended areas due to the keywords used or have errors, and some filters might bring up privacy issues as they could track the Internet usage information of the patrons (Rubin 385-386). Libraries are promoters of freedom to access information and avoiding censorship. The application of stringent Internet filters to all computers in the library would prevent the Library from being the type of community center that it seeks to be. As said in the Library Bill of Rights Rule III found through the American Library Associations (ALA) website, Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. I do feel that it is necessary to have some filtering on the public computers designated for children, in order to at least lessen the amount of harmful content they are exposed to. There are even state harmful to juvenile laws (Rubin, 384) that relate to this issue. Especially since the library has little control over the amazing amount of content on the Web in comparison to the literature and other physical materials that can be selected for a librarys childrens collection. But I feel that as long as the children still have the option/ability to access the other unfiltered computers in the library, that intellectual freedom is not being taken away. They would still have the freedom to access information about ideas (qtd. in Rubin 169) by visiting the library. I find it similar to the idea that one might not have R-rated movies in the children department, but children can still check them out on their card. Also, it is ultimately up to the parent/guardian to ensure that their child is following their standards and rules. These rules might be completely different in a school library, as they have more strict rules and

laws to follow. The ALA does not like the usage of filters for any computers, as they do not want anyone regardless of age to be denied access. But even they acknowledged that due to laws that might require filtering, the library was to employ the least restrictive level to maximize access to constitutionally protected speech (Rubin 395). In the end, this issue will likely be debated for many years to come as the Internet evolves over time. The intellectual freedom of citizens is something that many can feel passionately about. This can make it desirable for libraries to create an Internet usage policy, in order to address any issues that can arise. By not placing Internet filters on the adult computers, librarians might also have to be aware of the complaints that can arise from what patrons are publicly viewing on the computers. This might lead to training and classes for staff on how to handle situations where patrons feel uncomfortable or complain about what others around them are viewing online. But in the end, any issues or concerns from the public are worth handling in order to protect the value of intellectual freedom at libraries.