The goal of this presentation is to showcase the issue of digital information its filtering and banning. The addressee of the presentation are the school librarians.

Throughout the presentation you will see the pages in blue with text on them. They are quotes from the ALA Library Bill of Rights. Below you will find the full text of the Library Bill of Rights.
In this slide we learn that all people have rights to the information, no matter what purpose that information serves. Our students have rights to access the digital information, even if its not for academic purposes.

"The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
VI. Libraries that make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.
Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.
A history of the Library Bill of Rights is found in the latest edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual."

The X Valley School District uses Bloxx filtering system.
Other popular systems for internet filtering:
Webroot
Barracuda
InterGuard
LDSTech
DansGuardian
K9
Open DNS
SquidGuard
Hosts File

Bloxx uses True View Technology
"which analyzes, categorizes and filters Web pages in real-time at the point of request".
(source: www.Bloxx.com/abut).
These tools are able to block the information that, for example, is inappropriate, or promotes intolerance. "Bloxx is a member of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and incorporates its Child Abuse Image Content (CAIC) URL list into our products."(source: www.Bloxx.com/abut)
The filtering tools usually block all the social media sites as well. Unfortunately very often the blocked websites could be used for educational purposes, for example Pinterest.

Bloxx is a company that applies the algoritm to the restricted websites and denies the access.

As we can see in this slide the librarians should not eliminate materials because of their "origin, background or views".
Blocking a website to a controversial website because of its "origin, background, or views"=censorship.
Directing students to a high quality online resource with a controversial content=digital citizenship development.

TrueView Technology filters the websites that are allowed in a real time. It further filters the content, such as text and images. The Department Supervisor has ability to lift the filter from an individual website. There is a procedure that needs to be followed, but it takes time and usually teachers do not know about it. By the time the website is available the students do not need it anymore.

Facebook and all other social media pages are banned in XVCHS. As per conversation with the Department Supervisor next year the social media websites will be available. Reason? It is too difficult to separate the social media and professional content. Websites/pages/tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest...where is the line between the social media and professional tool?
Besides students have rights to the information...

There are several laws and regulations that protect the right to information. Here is a list of just a few:

• First Amendment of the United States Constitution
• Child Online Protection Act (COPA) [passed as law,
but overturned in courts as unconstitutional]
• Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
state or local codes
• ACLU v. Gonzalez
• ACLU v. Miller
• ACLU v. Reno
• ALA v. Pataki
• ALA v. U.S. Department of Justice
Source: Houghton-Jan, S. p. 25

CIPA rules require that schools and public institutions set up a software that does not allow access to obscene images and and images considered harmful to minors. The CIPA does not expect that the libraries block text, controversial viewpoints, or social media.
"When the law calls for monitoring, it means supervision, not the adoption of software or other tools to track users' weh-surfing habits."
Source: Caldwell-Stone, D., p. 3

This quote states that the it is the library's duty to provide the materials that show all viewpoints. Librarians, especially school librarians can not deny access to information only because they do not agree with the view. That includes controversial and difficult subjects, such as gay marriage, or cloning. Librarian's job is to provide access to information that has all points of view. The only reason for not including the source in the library collection is if the quality of the information is questionable.

AS per the ALA Library Bill of Rights it is advised that the Library Policy includes the point about the unrestricted and internet access.

These are additional points that the Library Policy should consist of. To avoid issues with students, parents, teachers and administration make sure that your policy can be used to support the library rights to provide unrestricted information and students rights to gain access to that information.

Information included in rules, regulations, and policies gets outdated quickly, especially when it comes to internet. Regular, at least annual, review of the library policies, especially Internet Policy, is necessary.

Over the past week I thought few classes with the English teacher. The students are writing their Pro-Con papers. I started the class with asking students to access the dhmo.org page saying that I will teach them how to properly evaluate the website. After we found all the needed information I asked them to sign in to them to sign in and see the "truth" about the dhmo.org. My goal was to show them to be curious, to ask questions, so they can make educated decisions. Dhmo looks like a very bad chmical, who would want to use it. But wait, what is dhmo?

School Librarian should be tech and internet savvy. The librarian should not only implement the right to unrestricted information but be a leader in the school community in this matter. The school librarian is the person that should be the mediator between the technology department and the teachers.

The personal believes, points of view and opinions should not stand in a way to the unrestricted, unfiltered information.

There are only two instances when minors' access to information can be limited

As per decision of the Supreme Court the minors' access to information can be limited if the source is considered
"educationally unsuitable," or "pervasively vulgar." Pico, 457 U.S. at 871.

In the second instance the restriction may be applied if the information is considered "obscene" . Ginsberg v. New York, 390 U.S. 629 (1968)

When filtering becomes censorship? When the access is not allowed to the information because of the librarian's personal take on the subject.

It is a librarian's duty to provide access to information. School librarian should always make sure that students know how to view different sides of the same subject, how to question opinions and seek their own answers. Denying access to some points of view limits students ability to learn and become educated citizens.

Above all does the filtering really work?
It takes away the ability to explore social media.
It does not allow access controversial websites.
It creates the fear of internet.
It promotes self, unsupervised exploration.
It denies access to information needed for classes.

The filtering does not work. First of all what is forbidden is always more interesting then what is allowed.
Secondly students know how to lift their filters. When you look up the filtering systems you will find websites designed to teach how to lift the filter. My high school had several instances where students accessed blocked websites. They were written up for checking their Facebook and other social media.

The two groups that suffer the most becouse of the internet filtering are the Journalists Club and English Teachers writing Pro-Con papers.
In my opinion the best solution is not to filter or ban internet. Stay within the legal guidelines and make sure that students cannot access the "obscene" and "educationally unsuitable" websites. Tech, mentor, educate, advise students who and where to find valid sources.

School librarian's job is to prepare students to conduct safe searches on internet. Show them how to use databases. Instruct them on using the internet to find the needed information. Teach your students how to evaluate websites.

Fighting for the rights to access digital information is the same as supporting writers that get banned. Just think about all the books banned in the last few years...would you agree with all the banns that happened?

The local laws and the policies of your library may very. Learn what are the rules and who makes them. It will help you understand the system used by your school.

The XVCHS Library Supervisor oversees the I.T. department as well. He is the one that finds the vendors delivering the filtering services. See if you can work with the supervisor and change the approach to the digital information.

Smaller schools may have one system that applies the same rules to all schools. Larger schools may have various ways to filter the internet.

Librarians personal views should not be a factor in making decision about what is available in the library. The same goes for organizations, such as schools. It is the school librarian's job to prepare students for the future challenges of the information search.

Learn if it is not possible to gain unfiltered access to internet try at least gain the access to individual websites, pages and tools.

You may need to prepare for a long battle. Find allies and talk to teachers. The ones that were denied access to the sources needed for class will take your side. Look what is ahead of you: raising a new generation of digital citizens in their quest for knowledge.

References:
ALA.Intellectual Freedom Manual. Retrieved from: http://www.ifmanual.org/home

ALA.Intellectual Freedom Manual. Introduction by Pat R. Scales. Retrived from: http://www.ifmanual.org/slmcif
ALA.Intellectual Freedom Manual. Minors’ Rights to Receive Information under the First Amendment by Chamra, T., Mach, D. Retrived from: http://www.ifmanual.org/minorsrights

Bloxx. Retrieved from: http://www.bloxx.com/about

Caldwell-Stone, D. (2013). Filtering and the First Amendment. American Libraries, 45(3/4), 58-61.

Childers, T. (2011). From Social Networking to Academic Networking … A PARADIGM SHIFT. Internet@Schools, 18(3), 8-11.

Huwe, T. K. (2010). building digital libraries. Living and Thriving in the Long Tail. Computers In Libraries, 30(10), 25-27.

Houghton-Jan, S. (2010). Chapter 4: Internet Filtering. Library Technology Reports, 46(8), 25-33.
Library Bill of Rights. ALA. Retrived from: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

Library Bill of Rights. ALA. Retrived from: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill