Library faces problem of inappropriate viewing
Laura Cornvalho
The most powerful tool in the human communication nowadays is the internet.With that people can change, shareandread anykind of information in real time.
The search pages make the webeasier. Anyone canuse without special assistance.
However, onedifficultto have access to this democraticmedia isthe necessity of acomputer.
Libraries offer computers withinternetaccessfor the community.
But, free information access doesn’t mean thatusers have the right to use public computers for illicit activities.
In MCC library some computers have been found with inappropriate pictures including pornographic images.
There aredifferent ways to control it. Thefiltering software is the mostefficient one.
In MCC, internet access is unfiltered andthey do not censor.
“The library staff occasionally notices that individuals have accessed material that some people may find objectionable,” said Lorna Peralta, an MCC librarian.
“It is stated in the library policies that users may not send, receive or display inappropriate materials that may reasonably defined as obscene.”
This policy is consistent with the content of Title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, which talks about public display of explicit sexual materials.
When a library computer user is observed viewing such material, library staff may question the individual.
They may or may not ask the individual to leave the library.
“Our computers are restored to their original image every 24 hours. This means that anything that has been stored on the hard drive is erased,” said Peralta.
“While the original intent was to preserve the integrity of our electronic resources, a byproduct of this process is that pornographic material, if downloaded to a hard drive, would automatically be eliminated.”
The library has also had problems with theft this semester and they recommend students keep their belongings with them at all times.
