Playing Catch-Up

I clipped a lot of stories in Bloglines before I finally got around to creating this blog. Here is a month's backlog of important and/or interesting items.

Massachusetts Reconsiders Filter Mandate Bill
American Libraries reported in late May that Massachusetts H.R. 3530 requires libraries to install filters. The resolution had earlier failed as an amendment to the state budget.

H.R. 3530 mandates that libraries with 2–9 workstations filter the internet on one machine; those with 10 or more public-access computers would have to place blocking software on 30% of the workstations. The bill also calls for prominent signage that informs patrons which machines are filtered....

Bill Ties School Funding to Parental Watchdog Councils
H.R. 2295 proposes that states may receive no federal education fund unless every local education agency creates a "parent review and empowerment council" to screen every library/curriculum acquisition except textbooks. I think it's all about King and King.

Oklahoma Library to Allow Gaming After All
Chat rooms still banned, but "the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, Oklahoma, reversed itself May 9 and decided that e-mail and online gaming would continue to be allowed on public internet workstations." They'll also keep a year's logs of who uses the computers.

Consumer Reports weighs in on filtering
Jessamyn at librarian.net points to a Consumer Reports article reviewing Internet content filters. I think the full text will be available in EBSCO once the embargo period has passed.

Librarian.net also alerted me to the story that the Allegheny [PA] Council is considering a bill to require libraries to report incidents of patron viewing pornography. This will be tied to funding of the Allegheny County Library Association. The aim, say supporters, is to improve the performance of commercial content filters.