Kids and the Library

Internet access in libraries
helps kids find information

February 23, 2004

DES MOINES, Iowa — Kids who want to learn about touchy subjects such as family violence, eating disorders, AIDS or even bed-wetting can turn to the Des Moines Public Libraries' Web site for help.

The site includes a wide range of topics on its "Kids' Problems" page that lists books and other recommended resources. For instance, a child searching for help with death or grief issues will find a list of books that is headed by Laurie Kenyer's book "25 Things to Do When Grandpa Passes Away, Mom and Dad Get Divorced, or the Dog Dies."

Dawn Work-Makinne, Des Moines Public Libraries' supervising librarian for technical services, said the kids' section of the Des Moines Public Libraries' Web site has been a part of the libraries' main Web site — www.pldminfo.org — for a number of years.

"It's been put together over a long period of time by a lot of different people," she said.

Jan Kaiser, marketing coordinator for Des Moines Public Libraries, which encompasses six branches, said services for kids are a very important focus for library staff members.

"We take it very seriously, reaching kids," she said. "The belief is that if you can get kids reading early, they get into the habit of reading, and we make them life-long customers at the library."

Kaiser said the Internet is an important resource for kids and parents looking for information on the various programs and activities that library branches offer in an effort to encourage young readers. The libraries' Web site features a list of upcoming Storytime sessions. It also includes other sections, such as "Harry Potter" pages, which Work-Makinne said comprise the most popular section of the kid's Web pages.

The area of the Web site with the most potential to stir up controversy is the page with links to Internet search engines. The search engines allow children to search the World Wide Web, and although there are some built-in restrictions on the search engines designed specifically for children, there is nothing to prevent kids from using the normal search engines, whose links are found on other sections of the Des Moines Public Libraries' Web site.

Many people feel that children must be shielded from certain types of information available on the Internet and from the possibility of having their privacy invaded by Web sites trying to obtain Internet users' personal information.

The United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science released a report in 1998 listing a number of "perils" of the Internet, saying, "The Internet can provide access to material, such as pornography, racism and hate speech, that parents may not want their children to observe."

Jeanne Hurley Simon, the NCLIS chairwoman in 1998, said on the commission's Web site, "Never before have students of all ages been able to gain so much access to information in support of their studies. But we also recognize what some have referred to as the 'dark side of the Internet.'"

In response to concerns, the Children's Internet Protection Act was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2003. A central issue of the case, United States versus the American Library Association, was the use of filtering software in public libraries.

The court decided after much deliberation that libraries could, and in some instances would be required to, use filtering software to block inappropriate sites on the Internet. However, adults who wish to access Internet sites that are blocked by the software can request that filtering software be temporarily disabled.

Staff and patrons at Des Moines Public Libraries do not have to worry about dealing with filters. Work-Makinne said the libraries have no filters on their Internet workstations. Instead, parents are responsible for supervising their kids' use of the Internet on library computers.

The Des Moines Public Libraries' Internet Policy, as it pertains to children, reads, "As with other library materials, monitoring of a child's access to the Internet is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian. Parents are urged to read the information on safe Internet access for children included in the notebook at each workstation."

This policy is in accordance with the values of the American Library Association. "Librarians nationwide today are working in a changed environment," said ALA President Carla Hayden in a press release following an August 2003 meeting in which ALA members discussed the Children's Internet Protection Act. "We continue to oppose the use of filters that block access to constitutionally protected speech and believe filters are not the best way to ensure library users have a safe and enriching online experience."