What
is the role of libraries on the information superhighway? Is the Internet
a virtual library or a new media? Will a great server in the sky or the
corner information kiosk replace libraries? How will the U.S. ensure equity
on the information superhighway? How will a user get access to one needed
small piece of a very expensive subscription database? Why is a great
source of information on the Internet today gone two weeks from now? How
will students find electronic information in 1999? or in 2010? Who's going
to keep and organize all that "stuff" for future scholars after
it's no longer "hot" or economically viable? Is there an electronic
equivalent of the library reference desk?
Are libraries the answer to
some of these questions? Or are libraries becoming obsolete? Find out
what cybrarians involved in electronic information services think about
these and other questions related to libraries and the national information
infrastructure. Carol Henderson of the American Library Association will
moderate a panel and lead a discussion.
Alice Griffen is the Librarian
in Montgomery County, MD.
Carol C. Henderson directs
government relations activities for the American Library Association as
Executive Director of its Washington Office. She has been actively involved
in national information infrastructure policy development for several
years.
Dennis Reynolds is President
of CAPCON, a library services organization in Washington, DC, providing
Internet access and training and related technical support.
J. Maurice Travillian is Assistant
State Superintendent for Libraries, Division of Library Development and
Services, Maryland State Department of Education. The division operates
the Sailor project, enabling the people of Maryland to access public information
and link to the Internet through a local phone call or through libraries.
Patricia A. Wand is
University Librarian at The American University in Washington, DC. She
closely watches technological and legislative developments that affect
the collection and delivery of information in electronic format.
Seminar
Summary
On Tuesday, September
19, 1995, The Institute for Computer and Telecommunications Systems Policy
at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, sponsored a debate
on the issue of controlling pornography and indecency on the Internet.
The two distinguished speakers were Bruce Taylor, from the National Law
Center for Children and Families, and Daniel Weitzner, from the Center
for Democracy and Technology. Both gentlemen have been active in the ongoing
debate which has received considerable attention within the last year
from both politicians and the mass media.
During Tuesday's seminar,
Weitzner and Taylor addressed the familiar concerns surrounding the topic,
particularly examining the legislative and judicial aspects of the controversy.
This exchange clearly demonstrated that the essence of the debate has
shifted from a theoretical one, to one that is primarily characterized
by policy making. For example, Bruce Taylor expounded on the difficulty
he and his colleagues are having with federal statutes regulating communications
and broadcasting. Currently, the laws are not interpreted to require supervision
of behavior on the Internet, although the language of the statutes is
loose enough to be applicable to futuristic standards. Thus, much of the
National Law Center's work is centered around petitioning Congress to
update legislation, and working with various executive agencies, such
as the FCC. Likewise, Weitzner and his organization spend a lot of time
trying to make sure the government does not become intrusive in the lives
of those seeking freedom. ``We don't want to create a giant censorship
apparatus by the FCC, in order to protect kids from indecency,'' Weitzner
said.
One of Taylor's greatest
challenges is persuading others that the computer is similar to any other
common carrier, such as the radio. It is not, according to Taylor, a non-liability
carrier like a telephone company which cannot be responsible for indecent
phone conversations. Instead, as the speaker suggests, ``A computer, when
it's hooked up to a telephone line, becomes the user of a common carrier,''
so that the computer becomes the sender or receiver, thus subjecting it
to regulation. Weitzner, on the other hand, feels that the Internet needs
to be protected from unnecessary rules and constraints. As he points out,
if people want to look at pornography, they have to make a conscious effort
to obtain obscene images; they do not appear on the Internet automatically.
One of the most apparent
fundamental differences between the two speakers was their approach to
solving the problem of preventing children from accessing harmful pictures
and lewd stories. Bruce Taylor strongly supports legislative action, such
as the Exon-Coats bill which recently passed the Senate. Daniel Weitzner
believes the key to protection is parental
guidance: ``Intervention on the part of parents is far preferable
to any kind of government intervention.'' Although Mr. Taylor concurs
that parental supervision is important, he believes the problem with this
solution is that ``...a lot of [parents] don't know or care what happens
to their kids.''
Both sides are gaining
ground on reaching a compromise for monitoring cyberspace. One specific
area both speakers endorsed was the ``harmful to minors'' label, as opposed
to the more obscure term, ``indecency.'' Both speakers acknowledged each
other's efforts to find the best resolution to the rapidly growing problem
of protecting America's children online. Thus it seems that the `visit
to the front lines' of this debate was productive, informative, and remarkably
civil.
Reported by Juli C.
Schwartz
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