From: "Ledeboer Nancy R" ledeboern@lvccld.org To: cipa-study@ntia.doc.gov Date: Wed, Aug 21, 2002 8:41 PM Subject: nita internet filtering study On behalf of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District serving a population of 1.2 million residents I would like to address the questions concerning filtering and how we have employed it in our libraries. Part One-Questions 1-3 Available filtering technology is meeting the needs of our public library. We currently offer patrons the option of selecting filtered or unfiltered access to the Internet. Our Board of Trustees adopted an Internet Use Policy which requires youth under the age of 18 to have a signed parental permission form on file in order to use unfiltered computers. Every library has filtered Internet stations in the children's rooms allowing youth to access homework help sites, on-line tutoring, and a host of recreational sites to suit their interests. After an extensive investigation into filtering products staff selected Websense because it allows the library to block or unblock sites very easily. If staff discover a site that should be blocked we can block it locally. Similarly if we find a site that is being blocked and should not - we can unblock it locally. Of course we know that filtering is not fool proof and we encourage parents to guide their child's use of all library resources including the Internet. In our libraries we offer computer classes for children and adults. Special programs have been offered at all our libraries for parents on Internet safety. Parents receive a "Dear Parents" brochure informing them of our Internet policy and encouraging them to take an active role in how their children use the Internet. Librarians provide Internet research classes for students teaching them how to evaluate resources on the Internet. We have offered TeenWEB Camps teaching youth how to evaluate web sties, and create their own WebPages. Question 4: Our library uses a variety of filtering options. AS mentioned above we use Websense on all Internet stations in the Children's areas. All other computers use Websense as an option to be selected by the patron. First they agree to abide by our Internet Use Policy and then they select which option they prefer. Websense is a commercial product which puts websites into categories. We can then block or unblock categories.. As mentioned above we can then block or unblock specific sites from our stations. In addition we reserve about one third of our Internet Computers as "Information Stations". These computers go through a server which blocks all sites except specific web addresses. The purpose of these stations is to limit access to the library catalog and electronic databases. The guarantees that people will be able to look up books, magazines and other information resources in the library without competing for a full Internet station. Question 5 & 6 Websense provides descriptions of the categories they use to identify websites. WE have found these to be helpful and useful. We don't have the list of all sites they have included in their lists. Since they expend time and energy to classify websites this is their proprietary product and we don't require access. We are happy to be able to block or unblock sites that they may have missed. Question 7 In selecting a filtering product we were especially concerned that we would have the ability to block and unblock sites locally without having to rely on the filtering company to do it for us. WE have this ability. Additional considerations were how much time would be required to load the software and make changes. With over 400 public computers we could not afford to make changes on each client. Thus we wanted a central application that could be managed effectively. Part Two- Question 1 Filtering options are not fool proof and do not provide total protection for children using the Internet. At best they provide some protection for children. However, no product can guarantee that a child will not find information that their parent's may feel is inappropriate. Content that may be acceptable for a teenager may not be desirable for a preschooler. In a public library environment we do the best we can to provide a safe environment for children. Staff have developed a "kids page" with links to age appropriate sites for young children. A "teen zone" page guides older youth to sites that are of interest to their age group. In addition we offer classes for students helping them locate appropriate resources. It is our policy to encourage parents to be active in their child's selection of print materials and electronic resources. Through active participation parents can share their concerns and values with their children to ensure that their use of electronic resources is consistent with their family values. In our libraries we allow children to access filtered Internet stations without parental permission. From these stations they have access to a host of homework resources including on-line tutoring, encyclopedias, magazines and other databases as well as word processing. Children who don't have computers at home are able to keep up with their classmates who have access to computers to type papers, conduct research and complete homework assignments using a computer. Youth who have parental permission may use unfiltered Internet stations. We provide parents with information regarding safety on the Internet as well as offering classes on how to use the Internet for youth and adults. Our Kids and Teen pages identify age appropriate resources as well as resources for parents and teachers including child safety on the Internet. Question 4 As mentioned above current filtering technology does not allow us to alter the level of filtering based on the age of the child. Ideally each parent could create the filtering profile for their own child and the system would remember this for each child. However, this is not available and our filtered option is a one size fits all. Part Three Our Library has an Internet Use Policy that has been effective in educating the public on their responsibility when using a library computer. The policy informs patrons that they may lose their Internet privileges if they violate the policy. Parents are informed that while we provide filtering it is not fool proof and we encourage them to guide their child's use of the Internet. The Internet Use Agreement comes up whenever a person logs onto the Internet and must be acknowledged before they begin using the computer. We also provide customers with an Internet brochure as well as information about our databases and electronic information resources. Our goal is to ensure that everyone in our community has access to electronic content and no one gets left behind as information becomes digitized. By making the Internet available in our libraries our customers can access local community information, renew their automobile registration on-line, find out about jobs, access on-line literacy resources, find out about community events and access a host of information resources. Question 2 Our Internet Use Policy was adopted by our Board of Trustees in September of 2000. It has been working well for our customers and we feel it has been effective in serving our community. The policy is available on our website at: http://www.lvccld.org/about/publications/policies/internet_index.htm Question 3 As mentioned above our library district uses a combination of technology to provide options to our customers as well as educational methods of informing patrons what the Internet has to offer. By offering options to choose filtered or unfiltered Internet we put the decision in the hands of the user. By making filtered access available for children who may not have parental permission to use the Internet we allow children to access a wide range of educational electronic resources. By utilizing more extensive blocking measures we are able to reserve some computers for accessing the library catalog and electronic databases. Through our computer classes we educate the public on how to evaluate Internet resources, how to use databases, how to be safe on the Internet and how to conduct research. We strive to educate and increase the information literacy levels of the all members in our community. Computers have become an essential tool for connecting people of all ages with the information they need. Best Practices to ensure that children are protected from exposure to harmful content: Computers in the children's area are filtered and reserved for the use of children and their parents. Adults who are not assisting their child with the use of the computer must use computers in the adult areas or computer lab. Parents receive a "Dear Parent's" brochure explaining the unregulated nature of content on the Internet and explaining our filtering options. They are encouraged to assist their child in using the Internet and to be active in guiding their child's use of all library materials. Children who have parental permission may use unfiltered Internet stations. All adult Internet stations have the option to choose filtered or unfiltered access after the patron agrees to abide by the Library's Internet Use Agreement. CC: