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Rochester Library Will Censor Web Viewing

By: Jed Nottingham

Posted: 05/24/2007

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - A ban on pornographic websites at Monroe County libraries was adopted Wednesday, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. The move not only leaves city and county leaders at odds on whether or not the decision counts as censorship, but also on how the new policy will be implemented.

The move is expected to preserve county funding for the Central Library of Rochester. However, the two boards that oversee policies for the central library and the county library system were under threat of having the central library shut down by County Executive Maggie Brooks over a long-held policy that had let adult patrons — upon request — unblock potentially inappropriate or pornographic websites.

To satisfy Brooks and retain $6.6 million in county aid, the Monroe County Library System board, despite the objections of the Rochester Public Library board, approved a new policy recommended by a library task force formed in February.

The policy, which is expected to extend to all libraries in the county, calls for use of the library's Internet-filtering system to block all pornographic sites unless — after a written request — an administrator deems a site appropriate for a patron to view. While the county library board adopted the policy, there was no clear sense of how to implement it. Because the county board manages the libraries' Internet system, the board's vote usurps any policy by town and city libraries.

However, the city library system and each town library are governed by their own boards and have their own Internet policy, so library officials said it remains unclear how the policies would mesh.

Another big issue concerns what librarians will deem pornographic. Since both library boards didn't approve the policy, officials were unsure whether the new policy would extend to the central library. Also, it's uncertain what impact the policy would have on existing rules at town libraries, each of which has its own boards — although many town libraries already prevent pornographic material from being unblocked.

The issue over viewing pornographic websites at the central library has been debated since Brooks railed against current policies after a television station in February showed patrons viewing adult sites at the downtown library.

Brooks said Wednesday she's pleased with the direction the library boards seem to be taking. "People are coming into that library prior to this policy being changed, accessing pornography and putting children, families, and other library patrons at risk," she said. "And that's unacceptable in a public institution funded by taxpayer money."

Wednesday's meeting stirred strong emotions, with board members arguing what impact the policy would have on First Amendment rights. John Lovenheim, president of the city library board, blasted the policy and criticized Brooks for trying to dictate content at the library. He said the policy would create a dangerous precedent that could allow political leaders to threaten the library if, for example, a book on abortion or human evolution was not pulled.

"How dare she dictate to adults in this community what they can and cannot see," Lovenheim said. "How dare she use her power to impose her personal views on us."

Lovenheim, despite approving the task force's recommendations, asked the library boards to approve a resolution to require the county legislature to adopt a law banning pornography at libraries. It failed.

Others contended that Brooks was putting the boards in a difficult situation.

About 70 percent of the central library's budget comes from the county.

"It really wasn't our decision at all," said city board member Katharine Parsons. "The decision was made the moment Ms. Brooks wrote her letter, and it was a decision made by a moral minority of one."

Nevertheless, Brooks and supporters said libraries constantly make decisions about what materials are appropriate, and that's not censorship.

"If adopting the recommendation is censorship, then this library is already in big trouble," said Bill Smith, the Republican majority leader of the county legislature and a county library board liaison, "[The] act of choosing books is censorship and [you] have a collection policy that implies and, in fact, results in rejection of material all the time."

The new county policy states that an adult patron would have to request in writing that a website be unblocked. The request would be reviewed by the library director or "his or her delegate," and a determination would be made in accordance with the Library Collection Development Policy.

The city library board on Wednesday voted to lift the moratorium and allow for the unblocking of any site deemed R-rated. Lovenheim said, for example, that MySpace was being blocked by the filtering system.

The Rochester Public Library board, which oversees all city libraries, may vote next week on the policy. Its members didn't vote Wednesday, in part because they wanted more time to review the task force's report.