Post 2 Mobile Access

We were gone this past weekend so when I get home I always like to catch up on the newspapers. I still hadn’t found my “it” article for this week’s blog, so I was hoping to find inspiration. Well low and behold here it is.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/05/27/2010-05-27_child_porn_social_networking_site_busted_by_feds_once_had_1000_members.html

It seems like every time I try to defend intellectual freedom and social networking, something else happens whether it be privacy issues or serious illegal activity such as the case here. Basically, if you have not heard yet, an investigation has been ongoing into a social networking site that was used to share fantasies, pictures, and advice for adults looking to have sexual relationships with children. The site is said to have had over 1000 members and was run by a sexual offender in prison in England. Sadly, only 35 members have been convicted of crimes so far. The big news this week was that the site was officially shut down.

So after reading this article I was literally sick to my stomach and wondered what could be done to help protect children in my community from such crimes. Intellectual freedom is wonderful, but as long as that freedom is not based on illegal activities. It is so scary to think what parents could be missing while their child surfs the internet. It is so easy to end up in the wrong place.

My thoughts today go to portable internet devices such as phones and iPods. While parents can limit what their children see online at home with available filters and search histories, how can you be assured your child is staying safe if you can’t even keep up with all of their technological habits? Maybe you told them to get off the computer, but who’s to say as soon as they go to their bedroom they haven’t jumped on the wifi with their iPod and are surfing all night long? We have quite a few kids who come to the library and are on the internet on their phone or more often their iPod touch. While our internet has filters, the local coffee shop may not offer the same protection.

It has made me think that maybe it is time to offer internet safety courses at the library, and have those classes focus on mobile web applications rather than the desktop or laptop. Accessing information is changing and we all need to do our best to continue to protect our patrons/families from harm.
Christine

When the person becomes bigger than the issue...

When I think about the basic truths of intellectual freedom, one of this biggest aspects to me is the ability to express your concerns but also be aware of other’s around you. Much is the case with internet filtering, banned books and the freedom to read. So I started thinking about stories I had read this week about others making themselves bigger than the cause they are fighting for. This all came to my mind when reading about PABBIS from our class material this week. PABBIS seems to make themselves bigger than the cause they are fighting, which in my mind, takes credibility away from their efforts.

This past week, Vanessa Bryant, wife of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and part Hispanic, was seen sitting right behind the team’s bench during a playoff game wearing a shirt that read “Do I look illegal?” to protest the new Arizona immigration law requiring proper identification for all residents. It was a big story because Kobe’s coach Phil Jackson refused to comment when asked about what he thought about the new law while the team is playing the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs. I thought it was an odd time to be protesting while her husband is busy playing for the Lakers, who pay him quite well, and Mrs. Bryant is busy making a political statement right in the middle of the game. Was it more about attention to the issue or attention for herself?
While I am in no way objecting to her right to protest, I do wonder about the stage she chose. You can read a brief piece about it here.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/18/lakers-immigration-bryant/

The part that really struck me was the fact that just a few months ago Mrs. Bryant was sued in a legal battle, which is still ongoing, with a Hispanic maid the family employed due to Mrs. Bryant’s mistreatment of her.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/26/local/me-kobe-housekeeper26

So my thought is, much like with PABBIS, how as librarians do we handle patrons who are more interested in making a name for themselves by questioning a book or a library practice, rather than the true objection to the material? What happens when the protest goes over your head as the librarian to say the newspaper as a letter to the editor where it becomes publicized before you even have a chance to respond? It is in cases like these I am very thankful that ALA has set forth guidelines to help aid librarians and library boards when it comes to making difficult decisions on materials and other objected issues.