ALA To Explore Flexibility on Filtering?

Staff -- Library Journal, 2/1/1999

While the American Library Association (ALA) officially opposes the use of filtering software by libraries to block constitutionally protected speech, its officials have made some more conciliatory statements in the wake of public pressure: ALA President Ann Symons acknowledged at a November hearing of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) that libraries could offer both filtered and unfiltered terminals. Now Symons is planning a filtering meeting to be held on March 12th in Chicago, and inviting, among others, representatives of filtering software companies. As ALA Executive Director William Gordon's monthly report states, "The subject of the meeting is filtering technology, its current state and future potential. This is an invitational meeting."