INTERNET POLICY
Clovis-Carver Public Library

1.         The Library Internet Policy will be posted at each terminal and on the Library website.

2.         Every user will sign in, using their full name.  Parents will be asked, when applying for a card for their children, if their child has parental permission to use the Internet.  Parents will be cautioned to supervise children, if they have concerns about their children being exposed to offensive material.  Children aged 12 years and under must have a parent  sitting with them at the terminal.  If offensive images are left on the screen, users will be denied further access.

3.         Library staff have been instructed on what behavior violates library rules of conduct, leading to eviction or other consequences.  This policy pertains to images on monitors that can be seen by others.

4.         Effective blocking software does not exist.  For literature documenting this fact, ask at the Reference Desk where a folder of articles on Internet filters and other issues pertaining to Internet access in the public library is available to the public.  Existing filters cannot guarantee that all offensive material cannot be accessed.  Sites are renamed on a daily basis, and an expert can easily “toggle” to get around filter protocols.  Furthermore, important information sites are also disabled by filters, and many schools and libraries have had to remove filters because they made legitimate Internet sites inaccessible.

5.         It is not the responsibility of the Library staff to monitor Internet usage.  Protecting children from exposure to offensive material is the responsibility of parents.  We urge parents to be aware of their children’s behavior at home and in the Library.  The Library will do its part to provide a safe place for all to use and work in by enforcing existing standards of behavior that respect everyone’s rights to a quiet, safe environment.

6.         Four non-Internet computer terminals in the children’s room are reserved for use by young people for research or games provided on internal software.

7.         Attempts to legislate against Internet access have been challenged and defeated (American Library Association vs. Pataki 969F. Supp. 160) as violations of the Commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.  The American Civil Liberties Union entered a permanent injunction against a New Mexico law enacted during the 1998 session concerning “Sexually Oriented Material Harmful to Minors” (NM Stat. Ann. 30-37-3-2-)  The ACLU was joined in the case by various organizations, including the New Mexico Library Association.

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