Why Libraries Should be Required to Install Filtering Software or Censor Materials Patricia A. Griffin Argosy University/ Atlanta September 26, 2018 Introduction • The use of the internet in libraries has created a bitter-sweet outcome (Hope, 2018). • The advantage is that it has increased access to information. • The downside is that it provides access to false or negative information. • Such information could bear a negative psychological effect on the audience. Cont… Introduction • An example of adverse information could be acts of extreme violence (Sinclair, 2015). • It may also include information that pertains to pornography • Content that spreads hatred and bigotry against a given social group is also undesirable. • There is the need to shield young people from such information Filtering or Censorship • Access to unwanted content in libraries could be prevented by (Batch, Magi, & Luhtala, 2015); • Installing a filtering software on computers • Censoring undesirable information shown on computers • A filtering software prevents the access to websites and pages that contain ill content • Censorship relates to blurring or blocking some words or graphic images from being shown on the screens. Why Filtering or Censorship is Controversial • Filtering or Censorship is controversial are deemed to bear both benefits and downsides (Lawrence, & Fry, 2016). • The benefit lies in the fact that it protects young people from harmful content. • It also helps to instill better morals in them to interact better with their societies • The flipside is that it interferes with their right to access to information • It also prevents their freedom of choice. Effect of Filtering or Censorship on an Individual • It improves the perception of right and wrong (Hope, 2018). • It protects the individual from negative psychological outcomes of watching unwarranted content. • It enables the student to focus on more educational content. • Makes a student be more willing to encourage others to avoid unworthy content on the internet. Effect of Filtering or Censorship on the Society • Improves the general morality in the community (Sinclair, 2015). • Increases the general school completion rates of students in the community. • Reduces chances of criminal activities among young people in the community. • Reduces strain on the security personnel in enforcing law and order in the community. Effect of Filtering or Censorship on Access to Information • Reduces the access to certain information among young people (Lawrence, & Fry, 2016). • Reduces the ability of students to learn diverse perspectives of a given issue. • Improves curiosity of students to learn outside the library. • Reduces the ability of young people to make independent choices regarding information Conclusion • The use of internet in libraries increases access to unwanted content. • There is the need for filtering or censorship of such content. • The action will help to improve the morality of young people in the community. • It will also improve the level of security in the given community. References • Batch, K. R., Magi, T., & Luhtala, M. (2015). Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools. Knowledge Quest, 44(1), 60-66. • Hope, A. (2018). Unsocial Media: School Surveillance of Student Internet Use. In The Palgrave International Handbook of School Discipline, Surveillance, and Social Control (pp. 425-444). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. • Lawrence, E., & Fry, R. J. (2016). Content blocking and the patron as situated knower: What would it take for an internet filter to work?. The Library Quarterly, 86(4), 403-418. • Sinclair, A. M. (2015). Forbidden Access: Censoring Books and Archives. The Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, 13.
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