People just don't get it

Trouble is, it's not just the general public and journalists like this one but also librarians who make statements like this one from the linked article: "Public libraries don't carry but a fraction of the books and magazines published annually. If a public library provides Internet access, why is it suddenly a denial of a right to choose not to provide access to all sites?"

The reason this statement is so off base is that public libraries may not "carry" everything, but what many people either forget or just don't know, is that public libraries traditionally "offer access" to everything. If we can get it through interlibrary loan (ILL) we'll get it for you, usually free of charge, regardless of age. Hey librarians, check your libraries circulation policy. Chances are, if a 14 year-old asks you to ILL Madonna's book Sex you're going to have to request it for them. Trouble is, if that same patron wants to view the same material on line it may be blocked by a filter or you might ask them to "just not look at that.

So, when it comes to the Internet, we're offering access just like we do with print material. This concept of thinking that the computers in public libraries should be treated any differently from print just defies logic.