Free speech

Boston and Cambridge librarians to debate

Two librarians who take very different approaches to free speech on the Internet will square off next Thursday, January 4, in a debate at the Old South Meeting House.

Titled "In Your Best Interests: Libraries Restricting the Internet," the debate will feature Boston Public Library (BPL) president Bernard Margolis and Cambridge Public Library head Susan Flannery. The moderator will be Boston Phoenix senior writer Dan Kennedy.

In 1997, in response to complaints that some children at the BPL were viewing sexually explicit material when they were supposed to be doing their homework, library officials -- goaded by Mayor Tom Menino -- installed filtering software on computers that are used by kids. No one under 18 is allowed to use an unfiltered computer unless she or he has written permission from a parent (see "Porn Patrol," News, March 7, 1997).

The Cambridge library, by contrast, does not restrict Internet access for anyone. According to a copy of the library's Internet policy, posted on its Web site, any child who is at least seven years old may use an Internet-enabled computer without having a parent or caregiver present. Privacy rights are guaranteed.

The use of filtering software has become a hotly contested issue, with many parents seeking ways to prevent their children from viewing sexual or violent material on the Internet. Free-speech organizations such as the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union have long opposed the use of such software, arguing that it constitutes censorship and doesn't even work properly -- it blocks access not only to hard-core pornography but also, for example, to Web sites about breast cancer or support groups for gay youth.

The BPL's Margolis, on the other hand, argues that parents have a right to impose the same restrictions on their children at the library as they would at home.

The debate between Flannery and Margolis comes at a time when libraries are under renewed pressure to filter Internet content. Just before Congress adjourned, Bill Clinton signed into law a bill sponsored by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) that requires virtually every school and library in the country to install filtering software, although the law does not specify how -- or even whether -- that software is to be used.

Bernard Margolis and Susan Flannery will debate the merits of filtering software on January 4 from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the Old South Meeting House, located in downtown Boston at 310 Washington Street. Admission is $5, or $4 for seniors and students with identification. For more information, call (617) 482-6439.