Say No to Library Internet Censorship

With the growth in importance of the Internet as a pivotal means of accessing information at the library, the age-old issues of library censorship have followed.

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Color Purple,” and “Heather Has Two Mommies” are just a small selection of materials that some have tried to keep off library shelves because the content made them “uncomfortable.”  But it has always been the duty of the library to offend a few in order to ensure that all have a means to be truly educated about the many sides of an issue. The American Library Association's Freedom to View Statement affirms this position and states that "in a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression."

The ability of libraries to foster knowledge and tolerance is again being threatened. Some local legislators are citing minuscule problems with library users accessing sexually explicit Internet sites as an excuse to impose Internet filtering and restrictive use policies that will keep essential health, LGBT, and political information out of reach for many.

It is well-acknowledged that filtering is not able to effectively block all sexually explicit sites, while at the same time it improperly blocks access to important information.

Reports by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Consumer Reports, and the Free Expression Policy Project have all found that filters improperly block important Web sites about health, sex education, civil rights, and politics. A recent test by the San Jose Public Library of three software filtering programs again found substantial over blocking of Web sites and even information in resource databases and online catalogs of available books.

Public libraries are often the only source of free, public Internet access to complete schoolwork and find important information on health, employment, and other matters. Filtering would have a particularly detrimental effect on the ability of youth and low-income and minority members of the community to access essential information at their libraries.

The ACLU of Northern California is committed to defending online free speech and access to information and fighting library Internet censorship.