In support of its mission to "provide the residents of the District and the patrons of the Library open access to information and ideas representing the entire spectrum of human thought and experience," and to "provide access to information resources and materials outside its collection", the Vernon Area Public Library District since 1995 has provided unfiltered access to the World Wide Web. The library recognizes that the Internet significantly and economically enhances its ability to provide information to its patrons, but also states in its Materials Selection and Management Policy that "it is essential to understand that the library exercises no control over the contents of sites accessible on the World Wide Web, and that the selection criteria listed in Section IV of [the] policy do not apply to any site visited or information received." Furthermore, the policy continues "It is the express responsibility of parents and other adult caregivers to monitor and select the materials that they find appropriate for their children. The library does not deny access to any materials in any part of the collection, Youth or Adult, to any patron."

As trained and experienced professionals, the Youth Services staff are greatly concerned about the selection of age-appropriate resources for children. Because of the nature of the Internet, this selection is problematic.

Ideally, all children would be accompanied to the library by a parent or adult caregiver. However, the library knows that in today's busy world, it is not always possible for parents to be with their children when children need to make use of the library's resources. Given this situation, how are children to make use of the seemingly endless bounty of the Internet without being exposed to its dross? How does the library manage children's access to the Internet?

The same way it manages children's access to any of the resources it offers - by providing a professional and caring staff to select age- and content-appropriate resources, and then to train and guide children in their use. This is being accomplished in several ways:

• The library has developed a "Cool Sites for Kids" web page that is the first screen to appear when children in the Youth Services department access the Internet. This page directs children to many sites of interest for school work and recreation, which have been selected by the Youth Services staff. It is regularly monitored and updated.
• The library provides written guides for parents and children to assist them with using the Internet.
• The library has placed Youth Services workstations in highly visible locations, which enables us to keep Internet usage under almost continual observation. The library has found that this is very effective for the following reasons:

1. A librarian acts as a deterrent. Quite simply, children are less likely to engage in behavior that they know or suspect will get them into trouble if they know that they are being closely watched.
2. A librarian can more quickly stop a child from viewing an inappropriate site. If the library were to rely on filtering software, and an inappropriate site slipped through, the software would allow the child to continue to access the site.
3. Most importantly, a librarian can redirect the child to appropriate sites. Using her education, skills and knowledge of the Internet, a librarian can help a child select age- and content-appropriate sites to meet that child's needs.

Some have suggested that filtering software designed to block inappropriate sites will prevent children from gaining access to them. At this time, the library has chosen not to install such software for several reasons:

• It does not work. Recent studies indicate that an average of 15% of the sites that filtering software allow fall into the "inappropriate" category. This simply is not good enough.
• It blocks constitutionally protected free speech. Several court cases have made this clear. As elected officials sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Board of Library Trustees must carefully consider any action that limits free speech.
• It blocks many useful and interesting sites that do not contain "inappropriate" or "objectionable" materials.
• Unlike the library, developers and marketers of filtering software are under no obligation or legal requirement to reveal their criteria for inclusion or exclusion of selected sites. There is no way for the library to determine the qualifications of those who make site selection decisions. There is no way for the library to ascertain the objectivity of the selectors, or to determine if a specific social, religious, political or other bias exists.
• Filtering software provides a false sense of security. Use of the software may imply a contract between the library and the parent that children will not be able to access certain material on the Internet. Since filtering manufacturers themselves admit that it is impossible to block all undesirable material, the library would be unable to fulfill the terms of the implied contract, thus exposing itself to possible legal liability and litigation.

The issues inherent in children's access to the Internet are under continual study and discussion by library Trustees and staff alike. The library recognizes that new and changing technologies in information delivery systems require that it regularly monitor and adapt its policies and procedures relating to them. At this time, the library believes, and its experience supports, that its policy on managing access to the Internet provides the best use of this resource for all its patrons.

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