Net censorship: the countdown. (book bytes).

The recently enacted Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires that public libraries who receive federal funding through the universal service discount program, known as E-rate, must enforce safety guidelines and use technology that blocks or filters certain material from being accessed through the Internet. Although the act was signed into law in 2000, federally-funded libraries have a deadline of this July to agree on a grant application to install Internet filters. If individual libraries decide not to sign on to the application, the result will be a major loss of federal funds.

But already the act has encountered some opposition. A federal court recently struck down the provision that would require libraries to install an Internet filter to screen out material that could be objectionable to minors, saying it violates the First Amendment rights of library patrons.

According to organizations such as the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Civil Liberties Union, who were parties to the lawsuit, the regulation is unnecessary. The ALA's Eric Brasley says Internet filters simply don't work.

"Current commercial software filtering applications for the Internet do not provide adequate means to identify content that could be deemed inappropriate for certain users," he says.

"They restrict some appropriate sites, especially legal and medical information, and allow some objectionable sites. For that matter, I don't believe we have a human filter that could be adequately, effectively, consistently and feasibly used to determine inappropriate content," he says. Brasley, who has a master's degree in library science and an MBA, has not worked as a library professional in a traditional library setting. His focus is on computer systems and technology, most recently on various library-related assignments involving the Internet (e-commerce) and project management. Due to his educational background and interests, he maintains close relationships with library organizations. "Our libraries are community agencies, responding to the needs of its constituents," Brasley adds.

"Our librarians are trained as information brokers to support their communities. A government-mandated filter is another costly hurdle, in terms of expense and time, for librarians in providing this service. Librarians have taken steps to restrict the viewing of objectionable materials on our computers, as well as restricting potential criminal activities. These steps are extensions of policies toward access for books, magazines and videos. Many of our libraries have permission policies for computer access and Internet use," he continues. "For children, the policies extend not only to getting parental permission, but also to the physical set-up of the computers to limit viewing.

"Our libraries already have policies to restrict children's access to books and magazines and to videos. Congress and the CIPA supporters would be better served by helping librarians to enforce standards for website content. The measures that we ask our libraries to put in place are to uphold community standards. We want our patrons to have as much access as possible without infringing on their rights, or abusing the rights of others."

The clock is still ticking. Even though CIPA has experienced a setback, the fact remains that federally-funded libraries will have to decide whether or not they will install Internet filters.

"If our librarians hold to their principles and refuse to add filtering software," explains Brasley, "we'll see a drop in funding, which will affect the operation and services of our libraries. Consequently, library service and access may be limited, which would continue to exacerbate this `divide.' We can't let that continue."

The divide Brasley refers to is the ever-widening "digital divide" that plagues many poor people of color, who don't own home computers or have access to the Internet. "Certain topics, certain health issues, certain discussions could be restricted by filtering software," explains Brasley.

The impact of CIPA on students without a home computer and use the library for Internet access would mean placing limits on the free-flow of information by restricting access to websites that are blocked. In many ways, it curtails access to learning tools for those students whose only alternative is the library computer, and in effect censors their access to a complete and well-rounded education.