Support Open Access - Urge Library Board to Repeal Internet Censorship Policy

Support Open Access - Urge Library Board to Repeal Internet Censorship Policy

The Sacramento Library Board will be debating whether to continue censoring access to internet information at its libraries at its meeting on March 27, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at the City of Sacramento Board of Supervisors Chambers. If you live or work in Sacramento, please call and email the Library Board members and attend the meeting to urge them to support access to information and repeal the current internet use policy that censors internet access.

The internet has become a pivotal means of accessing information and with its growth in importance, 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 material that some have tried to keep off library shelves because the content made them uncomfortable. The ability of libraries to foster knowledge, tolerance, and access to important information is again being threatened by Sacramento’s policy to censor the internet and have library staff stop individuals from viewing information when another library user claims that it makes them feel uncomfortable.

Citing minuscule problems with library users accessing sexually explicit internet sites, the Library Board passed a mandatory internet filtering and restrictive use policy that keeps essential health, LGBT information, and political information out of reach for many. The facts are that there were only 24 complaints out of more than 3,000,000 internet sessions in Sacramento, from all of the branches combined.

It is well-acknowledged that filtering is not able to effectively block sexually explicit sites, while at the same time improperly blocking 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 websites about health, sex education, civil rights, and politics.

A recent test by the San Jose Public Libraries of three software filtering programs again found substantial overblocking. Specific sites that were inaccurately blocked included WebMD and the American Urological Association; Univision.com (one of the largest Spanish-language broadcasters); Victims of Pornography (an anti-pornography support group); and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbian Gays—an LGBT support and advocacy group). The filters also blocked access to information in the library’s Health and Wellness Resource Center database, its World Book Encyclopedia online, and even the library’s own online catalog of available books.

Support access to essential information in the Sacramento libraries and urge the Library Authority Board to repeal the current restrictive policy. Call and email the members of the Library Board today and come to the meeting on March 27, 2008.

If you belong to an organization that would like to add its name to the ACLU's "Sacramento Coalition Against Library Internet Censorship" sign-on letter requesting that the Library Board repeal the current Internet Use and Access Policy, please e-mail Carol Velarde.

For more information about the Sacramento Library Policy and more about library internet censorship, please visit http://www.aclunc.org/issues/technology/say_no_to_library_internet_censorship.shtml

Nicole A. Ozer, Esq.
Technology and Civil Liberties Policy Director
ACLU of Northern California