Cambridge Libraries Okay Unrestricted Net Access

The Board of Trustees of the Cambridge Public Library voted this March on an official Internet policy that does not limit access to pornographic Web sites.

Library staff say they have not received many objections from parents, citing freedom of speech and the traditional right to privacy at public libraries as possible reasons.

"The main issue is always censorship and parental control [of children's Internet use]," says Janet S. Axelrod, a member of the library's board who agrees with the decision not to impose restrictions.

The decision comes as many libraries nationwide are struggling with the issue of unrestricted Internet access. Some libraries are experimenting with methods of preventing patrons from accessing inappropriate sites, while others maintain that these restrictions go against constitutional rights.

The policy adopted by the Cambridge Public Library board begins with an endorsement of the right to unrestricted Internet use.

"The Library does not...attempt to protect users from materials that some individuals may find controversial or offensive," the policy states.

The board decided against equipping any of the library's computers with filters--software that blocks access to material containing certain keywords.

In November, a U.S. district judge ruled that a filter system employed by libraries in Loudoun County, Va., violated the Constitution.

Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Library Association oppose the use of filters or any other state-sponsored limitation of Web access.

"The [Cambridge Public] Library has decided that filters aren't the way we want to go," says Elizabeth Dickinson, head of the reference department at the main branch in Cambridge.

"Personally, I'm not convinced they even do what people want them to do," Dickinson adds.

She says patrons tend not to abuse their Internet privileges.

"Most people are pretty responsible about using the Internet in this kind of setting," Dickinson says.

The Cambridge Public Library is part of the Massachusetts Minuteman Library Network (MLN), a federally funded consortium that lets local residents access libraries' collections across the state via online databases.

The MLN's official Internet policy states that while "there may be material that is offensive or disturbing...the Minuteman Library Network does not control or monitor access to material which may be accessible from other Internet sites."

But the MLN has also published a list of prohibited uses of online library terminals, among them the "transmission of threatening, obscene or harassing materials."

In addition to furnishing such general specifications, the MLN allows leeway for member libraries to develop their own guidelines for providing Web access to patrons.

In Practice

The main Cambridge branch, located at 449 Broadway St., possesses five terminals available for general Internet functions, including e-mail, Web-surfing, and downloading of files.

With about 1500 users taking advantage of its free Web access each month, the library has adopted a reservation system.

Four of the five computers designated for general Internet use may be reserved for up to an hour per day. Use of the fifth machine is limited to 20 minutes.

"The only rule is that the patron must have an active library card and sign in at the reference desk," Dickinson says.

In addition to the five Internet terminals in the reference section of the library, the downstairs children's area features three more networked machines.

These may be reserved for 30 minutes per day and feature a menu of resources geared toward young people.

Dickinson says that while elementary school students tend to patronize the children's area terminals, many switch to the reference machines on the library's main floor once they've entered junior high.

On a recent visit to the library, a glance at the main-floor computers revealed one high school student and four adults.

In the downstairs children's section, unaccompanied youths were using all three terminals.

Joan Eisenberg, head of the library's children's area, says that while some young people come with adults, others show up alone.

She says only those under the age of seven require the accompaniment of a guardian to use the computers.

"Kids come for school and for fun, with and without parents," Eisenberg says.

She says she is surprised that she has received little input from parents on the subject of Web access, especially considering that the children's area terminals "are in use constantly after school."

"I haven't had any problems or complaints," Eisenberg says.

Dickinson echoes this sentiment.

"Truthfully, I don't think I've ever had a complaint related to children's use of the Internet come to me," Dickinson says.

In fact, while it may be possible to monitor which Web sites library patrons are accessing, Dickinson says she would not consider doing so.

"There's no reason to [engage in monitoring]," she explains.

"We don't look over people's shoulders while they're reading books in the library," Dickinson says, "so we wouldn't do it when they're using the Internet either."

She adds that the right to privacy is a "traditional value" of public libraries.

The five monitors in the reference area are furnished with privacy screens, and the terminals on the children's floor are positioned at an angle that prevents passersby from snooping.

While the Cambridge Public Library has worked to ensure that patrons have unimpeded access to the Internet, other libraries across the nation have been experimenting with ways to prevent their users from abusing Web privileges.

Among the measures being employed, arguably the most popular is the "driver's license system," whereby parents must sign a consent form before their children can go online.

Axelrod, a mother herself, says she opposes any kind of censorship on the grounds that "children are people, and they have a right to information."

"Parents, not the library, should monitor their kids," Axelrod says. "The in loco parentis function is beyond our reach."