HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997/07/03 - Agenda Packet - Library Board of Trustees - Special Joint LFBDECLARATION OF POSTING OF AGENDA
¥I¥IAN GARCIA states and declares as follows:
I presently am, and at all times mentioned herein have
been, the Administrative Secretary of the Library of Rancho
Cucamonga. Acting in that capacity, on ~ 30 /~7
,
at ~lO0~[ I posted a true and correct copy of the meeting
agenda dated CT-~/y ~ 1777 at lo5oo civic
Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing
true and correct and that this declaration was executed on
&-3°-77 , at Rancho Cucamonga.
is
DEBORAH KAYE CLARK, LIBRARY MANAGER
City of Rancho Cucamonga
BY:
~ivian Garcia, Administrative
Secretary
City of Rancho Cucamonga
Roll Call:
Howdyshell , Davies
Pachon __, Beasley
AGENDA
RANCHO CUCAMONGA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF
TRUSTEES AND LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD
Special Joint Meeting
July 3, 1997 - 7:00 p.m.
Storytime Room
Rancho Cucamonga Public Library
7368 Archibald Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, California 91730
A. CALL TO ORDER
, Gregory , Swistock__
, Barnett , Morrison __, Valenti __, Williams __
B. JOINT ITEMS OF DISCUSSION
The following are joint items of discussion by the Library Board and the Library
Foundation Board.
Review of Donor Wall Design. Report presented by Deborah Clark, Library
Manager. Walk through conducted by architect Jens Lerback. Page 3
Update on Status of the Library. Oral report given by staff.
Telethon 1998: Selection of Project. Introduction to discussion presented by Deborah
Clark, Library Manager. Page 4
Telethon 1998. Reports presented by Deborah Clark, Library Manager.
a. Subcommittees proposed for approval. Participation for each Foundation and
Board member requested. Page 13
b. Time line for first 6 months of Telethon planning. Page 15
C. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC
This is the time and place for the general public to address the Library Foundation Board
or thc Board of Library Trustees. State law prohibits the Board from addressing any issue
not previously included on the Agenda.
D. THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Library Foundation Board will recess at this time while the Library Board of Trustees
discusses the following items.
Approval of Donor Wall Design. Report presented by Deborah Clark, Library
Manager. Page 16
Approval to Accept Grant Award of $9,600 to Establish a Planned Giving Program.
Report presented by Deborah Clark, Library Manager. Page 17
3. Technology Center Update. Report presented by Robert Karatsu, Principal Librarian.
a. First draft of Interact Access Policy for review and discussion. Page 18
E. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC
This is the time and place for the general public to address the Board of Library Trustees.
State law prohibits the Board from addressing any issue not previously included on the
Agenda.
F. ADJOURNMENT
I, Vivian Garcia, Library Administrative Secretary of the City of Rancho Cucamonga,
hereby certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on Monday,
June 30, 6:00 p.m., 1997, seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting per Government Code
54953 at 10500 Civic Center Drive.
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 3, 1997
TO: President and Members of the Rancho Cucamonga Public
Library Foundation
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
FROM: Deborah Kaye Clark, Library Manager
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF DONOR WALL BESIGN
RECOMMENDATION
For information only. To review donor wall design presented by Architect Jens Lerback and to
discuss the various elements of the donor wall and locations for furore expansion.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
A component of the 1997 Telethon was a Donor Wall Contest. Lack of entries (only 3 received)
resulted in cancellation of the contest. However, one design was received that merited further
review. Submitted by architect Lens Jerback, working with Wolfe Lange Architects, the design
is available for discussion.
Final decision on acceptance of the donor wall design will be voted on by the Library Board of
Trustees.
FISCAL IMPACT
A $500 award is due the architect should the proposed design be used to create the donor wall.
(~ctfully submitted,
Debor~l~ Kaye Clark2D
Library Manager
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 3, ! 997
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
President and Members of the Rancho Cucamonga Public
Library Foundation
President and Members of the Board of Library Trustees
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
Deborah K~, ibrary Director
TELETHON 1998: SELECTION OF PROJECT
BOOKMOBILE/CYBERMOBILE:
Start-up Costs: $120,000 On-Going Costs: $25,000 per year minimum
Includes $100,000 for vehicle/S20,000 for collection. On-going costs would cover 30 hrs of part
time Library Assistant/20 hrs. of Page time to supply 20 hrs of bookmobile service per week.
Pros:
Would perform outreach services, visiting the public rather than bringing them into the already
crowded main library. Would house portions of the collection and could assist in expansion.
Multipurpose of Cybermobile and Bookmobile would provide varied services to targeted
communities. Highly visible project.
Cons:
Initial high cost for developing service. Staff intensive service. Would require matching funds
from major business or city.
CHILDREN'S HOMEWORK CENTER
Start-up Costs: $40,000 On-Going Costs: $25,000 per year minimum
To cover book collection increases, additional shelving, software and computer costs. On-going
costs would provide 30 hours of part time Library Assistant and 20 hrs. of Page time.
Pros:
This service was one often requested on the recent public survey. This project would support a
major role selected by the Board of Library Trustees. The collection items purchased would be
popular and highly circulating during the school year.
Cons-'
The only locations suitable for the project would be within the existing children's room or to
expand into the room housing the Technology Center. The project benefit would be limited to
school age children.
4
Database: General Reference Center
.Key Words: Bookmobile
Library: Rancho Cucamonga Library
Source: Computers in Libraries, Jan 1997 v17 nl p29(5).
Title:
Author:
The cybermobile: a gateway for public access'to network-based
information. (libraries)
John E. Drumm and Frank M. Groom
Abstract: Public libraries are developing network-based information
mobiles or "cybermobiles" to replace traditional bookmobiles. The mobile
learning unit will utilize CD-ROM and wireless technologies to connect
patrons with the Internet. The proposed cybermobile will be about the same
size as a standard bookmobile and be fitted with air conditioning and a
wheelchair lift. The key to the success of the cybermobile rests on the
generosity of the corporate community.
Subjects:
SIC code:
Libraries and community - Information services
Traveling libraries - Design and construction
Libraries - Information services
8231; 4822
Magazine Collection:
Electronic Collection:
RN:
87E2879
A19033432
A19033432
Full Text COPYRIGHT 1997 Meckler Corporation
The old paradigm that information is paper-based is undergoing profound
change. The rapid and massive shift to digital-based information on demand
is forcing libraries to find new roles to play in the information age. This
shift from paper to an electronic, multimedia, hypertext environment will,
as futurist Joel Barker puts it, "alter so many rules and regulations that
everyone has to start over again. We are all back to zero." (1)
Libraries and the role they play are also back to ground zero. But instead
of viewing this situation with alarm, librarians must realize that they have
a significant role to play. Marilyn Moats Kennedy, founder and partner of
Career Strategies, Wilmette, Illinois, says, "The major issue is who will
have control of the technology. Although it is easy to bypass the library
when people have access to computers from home, libraries will become
centers of education where people can learn to use the overwhelming
technology."(2) Kennedy says libraries must decide what should be embraced
and what should be let go, since the pace of change won't let up.
From Bookmobile to Cybermobile
Tra~ltmona±ly, the Ooo~moDlle has playe~ an important poslElOn in meeting
the' needs of the reading public and in providing information to a broad
.segment of society. But in the past few years, bookmobiles have fallen on
hard times, and their demise has long been predicted. They have fallen
victim to such things as the gas crisis and, particularly, the construction
of more branch libraries to meet the needs of library patrons. Should
bookmobiles be considered relics of the past, with no future in the new age
of instant access and home delivery? We think not. But if we are correct,
then how is the bookmobile to function in the Information Age?
The answer lies in nothing less than a transformation of the old bookmobile
to accept the new formats. In our view, this new bookmobile--we call it the
cybermobile--is the next step in the evolution of mobile library services.
We foresee the cybermobile as a technology platform combining personal
computers, CD-ROMs, and a fiber network into a mobile learning environment
that will be augmented to include wireless access to the Internet. The
inclusion of the electronic element will allow the cybermobile to address
the kinds of problems faced by the library today.
What follows here is an overview of our vision for the cybermobile--its
mission and the benefits to society of fulfilling that mission. We've also
included our ideas of what technology the cybermobile will need to fulfill
its mission, and we've focused particularly on emerging wireless
technologies that will enhance the effectiveness of such a "mobile
information resource."
Mobile Solutions for Old and New Constituencies
The cybermobile we envision will be able to address the needs of old
constituencies in new ways. The groups that traditionally used mobile
services--the old, the young, those without transportation, those living in
rural areas, and the inner-city poor--are still with us. Their need for
basic information has not changed. In addition, they've been joined by other
segments of the population--people who have become adrift in this time of
change from paper-based formats to digital ones.
These segments include people without the equipment, training, income, or
technological inclination to adapt to the new methods of information
searching and delivery. The Information Age has helped increase the division
between those who are affluent enough to purchase their way into the world
of information resources and those at risk of being left behind. The
cybermobile will offer entry to the world of networked information to those
who can't otherwise afford it. In addition, it will allow them to acquire
training and skills as they use the personal computers in the vehicle.
If libraries are going to continue pursuing the goal of equality of access
for all patrons in the Information Age, then the evolution of the bookmobile
to the cybermobile model will be necessary. The cybermobile is an example of
how adaptive use of new technology can transform a traditional service by
making it more pertinent to present and future users.
6
Teaching wlt~ the ~yDermoDl±e
.The cybermobile will continue the blending of educational opportunities
offered by schools and libraries. At present, a vehicle like the cybermobile
might be considered a mobile classroom for use only by schools, but the
technology to access the Internet should be available to a wider audience
than that served by the public schools. By using wireless technology, the
library can be extended to individuals beyond the reach of traditional
educational institutions. The cybermobile environment acknowledges that
education and access to information are undeniably linked. With the need for
lifelong learning and the relatively rapid obsolescence of an individual's
knowledge base in this time of rapid technological change, school is never
out.
Of course, the cybermobile staff working toward this educational outreach
goal will need extensive training. They will need to become familiar with
personal computers, software, network connection, navigating the Internet,
and accessing and searching the library's catalogs and digital material at a
minimum. A critical component of the cybermobile's success will be the
knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm of a trained staff who are eager for the
challenges they will face. Among other things, their teaching, from the
cybermobile "base," can help reduce the bias some groups have toward
technology and help broaden technology's appeal to groups that once
considered themselves outside the current level of technological progress.
Staff training should cover technology, but it should develop sensitivity to
the needs of human communication as well.
So, what will the cybermobile look like? What equipment will it carry?
The Standard Cybermobile Vehicle
In the transition period between paper-based information storage and the new
electronic formats, the vehicle will still need to carry books. The
cybermobile staff will still do story hours and all the "traditional" forms
of outreach long associated with a library. But the cybermobile will be
equipped to take advantage of the new processing and wireless technology and
be able to customize electronic information to the individual user's needs.
Customers of mobile library services will no longer have to go to a central
educational or library site to learn the latest technology and employ it for
information retrieval.
Our proposed cybermobile would be of standard transit-style construction--33
feet long, 11 feet 2 inches high. It would be fitted with air conditioning
and a wheelchair lift. Power for all on-board equipment would be provided
from the vehicle's diesel generator. In general, the standards adopted for
bookmobiles as outlined in National Bookmobile Guidelines 1992(3) are the
basic guidelines adaptable for the cybermobile.
The Basic Hardware
The computers installed in the cybermobile of today should be Pentium-class
mac~lnes w~tn the necessary equipment to make them aD±e to ~lspiay
multimedia, whether it be local to the machine or network-delivered. A
typical equipment list might include the following:
* 10 computers, five on each side of the vehicle
* Wireless modems, associated software drivers, and communication packages
for each of the installed computers
* A central, networked, CD-ROM tower for the vehicle with the appropriate
set of educational and entertainment CDs
* Sound cards and headphones for each computer station
* A video card of SVGA quality with a CRT resolution of 0.28 dot pitch
Also, because three-dimensional (3-D) display is increasingly provided to
give the illusion of live interaction with the environment, 3-D headsets and
supportive software might be provided o enhance users' cybermobile
experience.
An alternative Internet access device that might be tried in the cybermobile
is the low-cost, highly touted Internet Machine--sometimes called the
Network Computer or NC--as proposed by Lawrence Ellison of Oracle Corp. Such
devices are beginning to come to market in the $500 price range, with
limited processing and storage capability, yet, with full Internet access.
The working assumption for such a machine is that processing will occur
"externally," on a remote server, and that little more than display and
printing will occur locally. Exposure to such technology might encourage
families of modest means to invest in a machine that, while more expensive
than a telephone, serves similar yet broader functions by providing access
to enormous amounts of information along with the ability to communicate via
e-mail.
The Software
The cybermobile will need a wide variety of software packages to accomplish
its mission. As we see it for the vehicle of the near future, at least, this
will include Windows 95 as the operating system for the PCs, Netscape's
Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the browser for Internet
access, and Trumpet Winsock or Windows' TCP/IP module to provide the
networking protocol. We are suggesting Eudora as the e-mail software, and
Microsoft Office for word processing and other general software-tool sorts
of "chores."
For multimedia programs, JPEG and MPEG programs should be pre-loaded and
ready. Special display environments should be prepared for 3-D display, such
as those provided by VREAL, WIRL, and Shockwave. Xing video decompression,
or its equivalent, and the emerging set of still and motion picture display
software will be available.
8
T~e Drowser snou±~ De capaD±e o2 executing Java applets that the user/patron
downloads from the Internet or that more advanced users code themselves. It
will of course operate with HTML and VRML, the languages of the World Wide
Web. Cybermobile staff should be familiar with these markup languages and be
able to employ, demonstrate, and teach them to interested users and patrons.
Of course, the beauty of the bookmobile and cybermobile concept is precisely
its mobility. A cybermobile will be able to bring its information technology
to patrons, rather than requiring them to come to it. Given the networked
nature of information technology, and the "physically unplugged" nature of
the cybermobile, let's turn to a discussion of wireless technologies that
can bring the cybermobile concept to fruition.
Wireless Access
Existing analog cellular wireless access (AMPS) and radio frequency services
are currently being confronted with a newly emerging set of wireless
communication services that are expected to be very competitive. These new
products will include both Personal Communications Service (PCS) networks
and low-orbit satellite services. A library contemplating a cybermobile will
need to compare these different services and choose the one that has an
affordable price and that is appropriate for its particular area and
terrain.
The General Wireless Model and Options
There are three basic options the cybermobile can employ to access the
library and, through the library, the Internet. (4) These options are: 1) to
use traditional analog cellular or the emerging digital CDMA or TDMA
versions of cellular as they are deployed, 2) to use the emerging PCSs whose
frequency spectrum was auctioned off in 1995, or 3) to use the older radio
frequency access that has long been employed by fire and police departments
and marine authorities. These options are portrayed in Figure 1. A library
should consider all three of these options and deploy the connectivity
technology that provides the best combination of price, performance,
coverage, and availability within each environment. The year of deployment
will affect whether a particular technology or version of a technology is
available for deployment in the neighborhoods that are the prime focus of
the cybermobile.
Cellular Systems Access
The advantage of cellular is that it is widely deployed and available in
most communities. Cellular access frequencies are not saturated and can
provide network access with very little blocking.
Although the United States' cellular network is constructed to employ the
analog AMPS technology today, there are lots of varying digital and analog
cellular technologies deployed throughout the world. Figure 2 lists a number
of such technologies and their characteristics. The digital technologies
employing TDMA--such as the European GSM system--and the CDMA
9
approacD--w~lc~ is Delng pursue~ Dy American companies such as
Ameritech--will offer superior transmission quality and allow many more
users to access the network simultaneously than can be supported by the
analog AMPS system. Libraries that plan to deploy a cybermobile should
investigate cooperative ventures with start-up GSM service vendors in
addition to vendors offering the currently available analog products.
Personal Communication Systems Network Access
The PCS networks will be the battle-ground for wireless access in the future
and should be considered as a future wireless connection for cybermobile
implementation in a fire'-year rollout.'The current disadvantage to PCS
wireless service is its limited availability and the sizable cost that will
be required to deploy such facilities owing to the enormous amounts that
were expended to acquire the auctioned frequency licenses. These high
license costs will be reflected in the higher initial access costs for users
of PCS networks. Figure 3 portrays how the cybermobile might access the
library and the Internet by means of a PCS network. In particular, it shows
how the cybermobile will access various PCS receiving stations and, through
them, connect to the PCS station serving the library. We anticipate that the
Signaling System 7 deployed as part of today's telephone network will be
used for call setup, vehicle identification, telephone identification, user
PIN number validation, and appropriate billing agency negotiation from
company to company and serving area to serving area.
Radio Frequency Access
The advantage of radio frequency is the long experience users have with the
technologyl The disadvantage is the slow speed and congestion of the limited
frequency to which it is assigned. Ambulances, emergency vehicles, and
dispatchers vie for a limited bandwidth. Packetized radio transmission may
be converting to CDMA, but it still is plagued by a narrow frequency range
and interference that can be especially problematic for wireless data
transmission. Thus, we recommend against radio frequency wireless service
for the higher-speed, data-quality service the cybermobile is expected to
require.
Satellite Connectivity
Toward the end of the decade, low-orbiting satellite services, such as
Iridium from Motorola, (5) will offer services suited to rural communities
that may well be passed over by land-based wireless providers. Cybermobiles
can serve these sparsely populated communities and connect to their home
library and the Internet by means of satellite connectivity as shown in
Figure 4. Tirro(6) and Pattan(7) provide detailed descriptions of the
two-way distribution of information among the dishes, the satellites, and
the base station, as well as how such information can be forwarded to a
telephone switch office. From the switch, a direct connection can then be
made to the library and on to the Internet.
Alliances: Keys to Cybermobile Success
10
If'the cybermobile is to become a reality, the library must reach out to
create a variety of alliances with traditional users and other influential
community groups. For example, to equip the cybermobile, computer vendors
could be approached to contribute equipment, software, and training support.
They should be reminded that good corporate citizens give something back to
the community. Wireless access providers in the local area should also be
approached. The cybermobile is an excellent platform to showcase how
wireless communications operate, especially where it can be used to gain
access to the Internet and local information sources.
Beyond these possible alties, neighborhood associations should be approached
to pre-sell the advantages children gain with early exposure to computers,
network technology, and the information that can be accessed, all of which
they will require for future employment and general participation in a
networked society. Local churches should be approached for support in
surmounting cultural barriers that might inhibit the use of the new
technology.
The library should work with schools for assistance and partnership in tying
together classroom learning and neighborhood access to information. Schools
can benefit from using the cybermobile to provide remote access to the
school's electronic resources, to the Internet, and to the local library.
Local government and community leaders should be encouraged to support the
learning and positive advantages of exposure to a mobile technology center.
The local news media should also be invited to preview the technology and
publish stories of actual user experiences.
We think the cybermobile is the next logical step in the development of
mobile library services. By using the new technology, libraries can reach
out and help more groups than ever before. Offering a cybermobile can be as
simple as refitting existing bookmobiles with a few personal computers and
wireless network access equipment. Where feasible, a new cybermobile can be
designed from the ground up.
What we have attempted to do here is give an overview of how the technology
can be used and discuss the potential of such a fresh approach to mobile
library service. The cybermobile addresses current and future needs of the
central city, poor, rural, and disabled individuals. It holds the potential
of bridging an emerging gap that separates the poor from the affluent, and
the culturally isolated from those segments of society long used to
technological change.
John Drumm, MLS, is associate director for the Muncie (Indiana) Public
Library and may be reached by e-mail at jdrumm@ecicnet.org. Frank Groom is
associate professor at the Graduate Center for Information and Communication
Sciences at Ball State University and former senior director of information
technology at Ameritech Library Services. His e-mail address is
00fmgroom@bsuvc.bsu.edu.
References
11
1~ Barker, Joel Arthur, Discovering the Future: The Business of Paradigms
iCharterhouse Instructional Learning Corporation, 1990).
2. Kennedy, Marilyn Moats, "Strategies for Change Outlined," Library
Personnel News, Sept./Oct. 1995.
3. National Bookmobile Guidelines (State Library of Ohio, 1992).
4. Salamone, Salvatore, "Untangling Wireless," Byte, Dec. 1995.
5. Gardner, John, and Barry West, Personal Communication Systems and
Technologies (Artech House, 1995).
6. Tirro, Sebastiano, Satellite Communications System Design (Plenum,
7. Pattan, Bruno, Satellite Systems (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1993).
-- End --
1993).
12
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAIVIONGA
STAFF REPORT
July 3, 1997
President and Members of the Rancho Cucamonga Public
Library Foundation
President and Members of the Board of Library Trustees
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
Deborah Ka~, ibrary Director
TELETHON SUBCOMMITTEES PROPOSED FOR APPROVAl,
CONTINUE WITH THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES:
Executive Subcommittee
Past members: Ede Swistock, Library Board; Paul Williams, Friends President; Diane Williams,
Council member; Bill Anthony, Executive Producer; John Mannerino, Master of Ceremonies;
Panla Pachon, Library Foundation Board President; Dixie Langdon, Telethon Volunteer
Coordinator; Duane Baker, City Hall staff; Deborah Clark, Robert Karatsu, library staff.
Project: To be responsible for coordination and technical aspects of the telethon production.
Youth Talent Subcommittee
Past members: Rebecca Davies, Library Board member; Rene Barnett, Library Foundation
Board member; Renee Tobin, Nina Cole, Deborah Clark, staff.
Project: To plan, organize and promote the amateur and youth performance aspect of the
Telethon. Involves planning the event, creating publicity, coordinating schedules, previewing
acts and working with young people.
Professional Entertainment/Celebrity Guests/Adult Amateur Entertainment Subcommittee
Past members: John Mannerino, Master of Ceremonies; Rene Barnett, Library Foundation
Board member; Deborah Clark, staff.
Project: To contact and book professional entertainment and celebrity guests for the Telethon.
Canister Subcommittee
Gregory Morrison, Foundation Board; Deborah Clark, staff.
Project: To locate and purchase canisters to promote the telethon; to arrange for distribution and
monitoring of canister sites.
.J
13
ADD NEW COMMITTEES:
Marketing and Publicity Subcommittee
Panla Pachon, Library Foundation Board member; Deborah Clark, staff.
Project: To promote the Telethon within the business community, to solicit corporate and
business sponsors, to create a time line, generate a list of publicity print and media publicity
opportunities, create press releases and contact news media for photo opportunities.
School Involvement Subcommittee
Rebecca Davies, Library Board; Deborah Clark, staff.
Project: To involve the schools in potential fundraising activities, to solicit participation through
school bands and clubs, to maintain contact with PTA's.
ELIMINATE THE FOLLOWING SUBCOMMITTEES:
Auction Subcommittee
Past members: Bob Howdyshell, Laura Muna Landa, Library Board members; Robert Valenti,
Patricia Beasley, Library Foundation Board members; Deborah Clark, staff.
Project: To solicit donations in the form of goods from local merchants; to create "gift packages"
for auctioning on the telethon; to create a schedule of gifts to be auctioned.
Recommendation: Eliminate subcommittee and have all Foundation and Library Board
members be involved in this aspect of the Telethon.
Trivia Contest Subcommittee
Past members: Paula Pachon, Library Foundation Board; Lori Hopkins, staff; Rosie Manella,
staff; Robert Karatsu, staff.
Project: To plan and coordinate the Trivia Contest portion of the Telethon.
Recommendation: Eliminate subcommittee and have staff plan this event. Paula Pachon will
serve as liaison from the Foundation Board.
Voters Subcommittee
Past members: Gina Gregory, Library Board member; Robert Karatsu, staff.
Project: To determine methodology for collecting votes.
Recommendation: Eliminate subcommittee. Work will be absorbed by other committees.
14
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
July 3, 1997
President and Members of the Rancho Cucamonga Public
Library Foundation
President and Members of the Board of Library Trustees
Jack Lam, AI~ty Manager
Deborah Kay~'brary Director
TIME LINE FOR FIRST 6 MONTHS OF TELETHON PLANNING
ACTION REQUIRED
July/August:
Select Themes and Project for the 1998 fnndraiser
Activate subcommittees, established goals and generate
timelines £or each
Begin planning and scripting "library stories"
Contract with Production Crew
Plan school/PTA involvement
September:
Create forms, letters, fliers
Meet with Marks Cablevision/Comcast
Meet with Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
October/November:
Begin soliciation for auction prizes/General support
December:
Continue with various projects
Lost time due to vacations/holidays
GROUPINVOLVED
Foundation Board
All subcommittees
Library Board
Pennies for Pages Subcommittee
Executive Committee
Executive Committee
Entire Library Team
15
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAIVIONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
July 3, 1997
President and Members of the Library Board of Trustees
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
Deborah Kaye Clark, Library Manager
APPROVAL/ACCEPTANCE OF DONOR WALL DESIGN
RECOMMENDATION
To review donor wall design presented by Architect Jens Lerback, approve acceptance of his
design for the donor wall and award the sutn of $500 guaranteed the artist whose concept was
accepted for the donor wall.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS
A component of the 1997 Telethon was a Donor Wall Contest. Lack of entries (only 3 received)
resulted in cancellation of the contest. However, one design was received that merited further
review. Submitted by architect Lens Jerback, working with Wolfe Lange Architects, the design
is available for discussion.
FISCAL IMPACT
A $500 award is due the architect should the proposed design be used to create the donor wall.
Award of the $500 does not necessarily commit the Library to further contractual services with
Mr. Lerback or the firm of WLC Architects.
e~lly submitted,
16
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAIVIONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
July 3, 1997
President and Members of the Board of Library Trustees
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
Deborah Kaye Clark, Library Manager
APPROVAL TO ACCEPT GRANT AWARD: "BUILDING COMMUNITY
SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA PUBLIC LIBRARIES: PLANNED GIVING
CAMPAIGN"
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Board approve acceptance of the grant award of $9,600 from the
California State Library.
BACKGROUND:
The California State Library offered the opportunity for libraries to apply for funds to create their
own library foundation, or to request funds for Board development or other special needs. This
award will allow the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library Foundation to create a planned giving
program for the library.
FISCAL IMPACT:
$9,600 in grant funds would be targeted for the planned giving program. No matching funds are
required in this grant.
ectSully submitted,
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 3, 1997
TO:
President and Members of the Board of Library Trustees
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
FROM: Deborah Kaye Clark, Library Director
SUBJECT: INTERNET ACCESS POLICY
RECOMMENDATION:
Attached you will find a memo and proposed Intemet policy drafted by Principal Librarian,
Robert Karatsu. Staff proposes that you review the accompanying documentation and open the
subject for discussion. The Library Board may choose to accept the proposed policy as
presented, accept with changes or refer the policy to committee for any action the Board deems
appropriate.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:
Access to the Internet is a complex issue--one which has even involved the Supreme Court as
interpreter. After months of research and deliberation, staff is presenting a policy for Library
Board review. While originally staff had planned to work through a subcommittee, the loss of
one subcommittee member and the current reduced number on the Board prompted staff to
present a proposed policy for review and discussion at this time.
Key in this policy are the issues of filtering, the absence of age limitations and the inclusion ora
statement regarding the inappropriateness of using the Internet to "harass"--a term that we define
broadly to include sexual harassment, racial harassment, etc..
Should the Board want further exploration of any of the issues, the Board may refer the policy to
a subcommittee created for that purpose.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No immediate fiscal impact beyond the initial cost of filtering software.
iKally submitted,
18
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONOA
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
June 28, 1997
Deborah Clark, Library Manager
Robert Karatsu, Principal Librarian
Public Access lnternet Policy
Attached is a draft policy for the Board's perusal re: public access to the Intemet. Also attached
is a survey from May/June 1997 issue of ~ of how other public libraries are
addressing the issue of public access to the Intemet.
Here are the choices that the Library Board has in regards to offering ~ublic access to the
Internet:
1). Offering unrestricted access to the Internet.
Pros: No need to install any filtering software, and assumes all users will use the Intemet in an
appropriate, acceptable manner.
Cons: Risk of users either "accidentally" or on purpose accessing inappropriate sites on the
Internet.
2). Offering access using a filtering software which may be turned offat the request of the
user.
Pros: Reduces, although does not eliminate, the possibility of users either "accidentally" or on
purpose accessing inappropriate sites on the Intemet, while at the same time, allows the user the
option of assuming responsibility for using the Intemet in an appropriate, acceptable manner.
Cons: Risk of users either "accidentally" or on purpose accessing inappropriate sites on the
Intemet when the filtering software is turned of[
3). Offering access using a filtering software at ali times.
Pros: Reduces, although does not eliminate, the possibility of users either "accidentally" or on
purpose accessing inappropriate sites on the Intemet.
Cons: Risks possibility of charges of censorship and restricting freedom of access to all materials
available on the Internet.
4). Not offering public access to the lnternet.
Pros: No need to worry about complaints from the public regarding inappropriate use of the
Internet.
Cons: Not providing the public with direct access to what is becoming a more and more
indispensable service.
It is believed that our Library Board is very progressive in its thinking and acknowledges the
Internet as an important informational resource, and that offering public access to the Internet is a
service that the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library should provide. Therefore, option #4 is not
under consideration.
Basically, the policy I have drafted is an amalgamation of dozens of other policies that I have
reviewed from other public libraries, and then modified specifically for this Library. After
discussions with the professional librarians on staff here, it was agreed upon that at least initially,
we would install Internet "filtering" software on all computers in the Technology Center, with the
proviso that should any user wish to have this software turned off, staffwould do so.
In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on how the Internet is covered by free speech, I do
not believe that using filtering software violates any kind of law (particularly since we give the
option of having this software turned off.)
It must be noted however that even with Internet filtering software, these are by no means perfect,
nor will they comprehensively eliminate access to all inappropriate sites on the Internet.
(Attached is also an article from the May 1997 Consumer Reports on some of the leading filtering
software.) Staffhave reviewed some products, and will make a decision on a specific program
should the Board decide to go with filtering software.
If there are any questions about any of this, ask me.
20
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
I EMORANDUM
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
June 28, 1997
Deborah Clark, Library Manager
Robert Karatsu, Principal Librarian
Public Access Internet Policy
PUBLIC ACCESS INTERNET POLICY
PURPOSE
The profusion of useful information available over the Internet continues to grow and all
projections envision the Internet as a major source for providing information content in the future.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library can better serve community informational needs by
providing access to the Internet for our patrons.
The purpose of this policy is to outline guidelines for use of the Internet when accessed through
services provided by the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library.
GUIDELINES
1). Use of public access Internet is strictly on a "first-come, first-serve" basis.
2).
Parents, and not the library, have the responsibility to supervise and guide the use of the
Internet by their children.
3).
The Internet consists of resources outside of the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library.
Some material may not be completely accurate, complete or current. Some material may
be considered offensive. The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library has no control over the
material on the Internet other than what it has directly posted via its own home page. The
Rancho Cucamonga Public Library cannot assure the validity of all information, nor can it
protect the public from offensive material. The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library cannot
assure access to all resources at any given time as they may be busy, available only to
authorized persons, or may no longer be available.
4).
A "filtering" program is installed on all public access Internet terminals. At the request of
the user, this program may be turned offby stafl[.
6).
7).
10).
11).
Library staffcannot provide detailed help or individual instruction on the use of the
Internet or any Web Sites the patron may be using or interested in accessing.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library will provide access to the World Wide Web but
does not provide patrons with access to any other services including but not limited to:
e-mail, telnet, newsgroups, FTP (file transfer protocol), Archie, Gopher, Chat Rooms or
IRC.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library is not liable for costs incurred through patron use
of fee-based services.
Downloading of any files may only be done to the a: drive.
Files may be printed from the Intemet at a cost designated by the Library.
It is not appropriate to use Intemet privileges to interfere with or disrupt other users,
services or equipment. Disruptions included, but are not limited to, distribution of -
unsolicited advertising, harassment, propagation of computer viruses, or use of the
network to make unauthorized entry to any other machine. Patrons will not use the
Internet for any illegal activity, or place any text, data, graphics, images, messages,
communications, files or other material related to any illegal activity on the Internet.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library may suspend or terminate Internet privileges if
the Library reasonably believes that any user has violated these policy guidelines. The
Rancho Cucamonga Public Library will review these matters on a case-by-case basis.
Policies For the Use
of Public Internet
Workstations in
Public Libraries
David Burt
Public libraries implementing public access to the
Internet are faced with the necessity of making a variety
of decisions regarding new usage policies. This study
examined seventy-five public library Internet access
policies to determine how many libraries were
implementing twenty-six individual policy elements.
public libraries across the country are providing PC workstations to the public
Ion which they can access the Internet. Many of these libraries are struggling
to establish appropriate use policies for lnternet access. In March of 1996 1
attended a "Table Talk" at the Public Library Association Conference in
Portland, Oregon on this very subject. A table with space for a dozen or so was quickly
swamped with more than fifty librarians. Many of the attendees said something to the
effect of, "We're getting ready to provide access to the Internet, and are wondering
how other libraries have dealt with [pornography, time limits, printing costs, etc.]."
On the tistserv PUBLIB-NET, which deals with technology and the lnternet in public
libraries, hardly a week passes without someone asking for help with an Internet-access
policy question. Some of these policies, particularly those involving restrictions placed
on users, generate considerable debate among librarians.
The library I work for, Lake Oswego Public Library in Lake Oswego, Oregon,
recognized the need to establish an Internet public-use policy as the result of an
unrelated but revealing episode. A heated controversy erupted over the library's
beginning a subscription to Playboy magazine, and after much public debate the Lake
Oswego City Council voted to allow access to the magazine to patrons under sixteen
years of age only with parental permission. The strong reactions of many members of
our community to Playboy in the library caused us to delay plans to implement public
access to the Internet until we had formulated an Internet-use policy.
With this in mind, I researched the policies of other public libraries to see how
they were managing public lnternet access. After gathering quite a number of lnternet
acceptable-use policies, it became apparent to me that we were likely not alone in our
curiosity about lnternet access policies, and I decided that it would be a valuable
service to the library community to keep an up-to-date archive of the access policies
1 was examining. This policy archive page (http:llwww. ci.oswego.onuslli-
brary/poli.htm) debuted in July 1996. It was an immediate success and has consistently
been our Web site's most visited page. This article reports the results o~f my examination
Received August 1996, accepted February 1997
of the individual elements of seventy-five
policies to identify the public access con-
siderations and concerns of public librar-
ies nationwide.
Methodology
Data was gathered from the published
policies of public libraries between May
1996 and January 1997 by searching the
home pages of more than three hundred
public libraries listed in the home page of
the St. Joseph County (IN) Public Library
(hrrp://sjcpl.lib.in.us/homepage/PublicLi-
braries/Pu blicLibraryServers.html). Each
page was searched by search engine
when available, or by browsing through
such topics as "policies," "about the li-
brary," and "information." At this writ-
ing, a total of seventy-five libraries have
been identified that have a published In-
ternet-access policy. All seventy-five pol-
icy statements were downloaded, and
each page was quickly scanned to iden-
tify individual policy elements. A total of
twenty-six individual policy elements
were identified, and each policy state-
ment was subsequently checked for all
twenty-six policy elements.
Each library was ranked by popula-
tion served, using figures from the ALA
American Libraries Directory, 1996-97.
The seventy-five libraries were then di-
vided into three groups: small, which
serve a population of under 100,000;
medium, which serve a population be-
tween 100,000 and 499,000; and large,
which serve a population of over
500,000. A summary of the twenty-six
elements, sorted by frequency of appear-
ance according to the size of population
served, is shown in table I.
A Mixed Policy Bag
The policy statements are quite diverse.
Some consist of a single, brief paragraph
disavowing responsibility for the infor-
mation users might find on the lnternet,
such as in the following statement of the
Los Angeles Public Library:
Los Angeles Public Library provides
public access to the lnternet in keeping
with its role in providing equal access
to information and resources to meet
the educational and recreational needs
of~tl~ community. The library has no
1S6
Policy Ingredients
Var Policy
A Library is not responsible for the information
users find on Internet workstations.
B States that parents are responsible for children's
access on lnternet workstations.
C Warns users they may find offensive material on
lnternet workstations.
D Supports the ALA Bill of Rights in policy on
Internet workstations.
E Library respects user privacy when using lnternet
workstations.
F Warns users of possible loss of Internet privileges
for violation of policies.
G Offers lnternet training classes to the public.
Has time limits on use of lnternet workstations.
Uses filtering software on Imernet workstations.
J Has sign-up sheets for use of lnternet
workstations.
K Charges fees to use Intemet workstations.
L Requires users to sign an acceptable use
agreement to use lnternet workstations.
M Has some limitations on printing by the public
from lnternet workstations.
N Limits use of lnternet workstations to library card-
holders.
O Children may only use lnternet workstations with
parent's permission.
P Children may only use Internet workstations
when accompanied by a parent.
Q Bars viewing pornography on lnternet
workstations.
R Bars violation of copyright or software licenses
while using lnternet workstations.
S Bars attempts to violate system security via
lnternet workstations.
T Bars the use of user's own software on lmernet
workstations.
U Bars using lnternet workstations to harass others.
V Bars users from sending e-mail on lmernet
workstations.
W Bars users from using their own disks at lnternet
workstations.
X Bars illegal activities on lnternet workstations.
Y Bars misrepresenting oneself on the lnternet via
lnternet workstations.
Z Bars commercial use of the lnternet via Internet
All Sm. Md. Lg.
(N=75) (N=34) (N=2~ (N=1~
80 79 70 100
60 53 67 64
57 62 52 57
13 12 15 14
8 3 19 0
44 50 33 50
12 18 7 7
24 32 19 14
4 3 7 0
21 24 26 7
4 6 4 0
23 32 22 0
19 24 7 29
9 15 7 0
15 24 11 0
4 3 4 7
12 9 15 14
32 35 33 21
36 35 33 43
24 29 19 21
20 18 26 14
13 26 0 7
5 12 0 0
36 35 33 43
7 3 11 7
9 6 11 14
control over the information on the
Internet, and cannot be held responsi-
ble for its content. As is the case with
other materials in the Library's collec-
tions, any restriction ora child's access
to the Internet is the responsibility of
the parent or legal guardian.
Other policy statements are detailed,
multi-page documents listing rules and
prohibited types of behavion The Eugene
(Ore./ Public Library's statement con-
tains a whole section detailing "Unac-
ceptable Use":
1. It is not acceptable to use the ln-
ternet access for any purposes which
vi~olate U.S. or state laws, to transmit
threatening, obscene, or harassing ma-
terials, or to interfere with or disrupt
network users, services or equipment.
Disruptions include, but are not lim-
ited to: distribution of unsolicited ad-
vertising, propagation of computer
worms and viruses, and using the net-
work to make unauthorized entry to
any other machine accessible via the
network.
2. Users may not represent themselves
as another person.
3. It is assumed that information and
resources accessible via the Internet
are private to the individuals and or-
ganizations which own or hold rights
to those resources and information,
unless specifically stated otherwise by
the owners or holders of rights. It is
therefore not acceptable for an indi-
vidual to use the [nternet to access
information or resources unless per-
mission to do so has been granted by
the owners or holders of rights to
those resources of information.
4. Malicious use is not acceptable.
Use of the Internet and any attached
network in a manner that precludes or
significantly hampers its use by others
is not allowed. Use of the network for
recreational games is not acceptable
when such use places a heavy load on
scarce resources.
5. Unsolicited advertising is not ac-
ceptable. Advertising is permitted on
some mailing lists and news groups if
the mailing list or news group explic-
itly allows advertising.
Most policy statements consist of a
single page or less, contain a disclaimer
statement of some kind, and specifically
prohibit one or two types of behavior.
The Flint (Mich.} Public Library's In-
ternet use policy falls into this category:
The mission of the Flint Public Library
is to support the development of an
informed citizenry by collecting,
transmitting, and ensuring open ac-
cess to the world's ideas and informa-
tion. To this ~nd, the Flint Public Li-
brary is providing access to the
Internet at designated Public Access
Catalog terminals at the Main Library
and each branch. All patrons will have
enhanced accessibility to ideas and in-
formation through the Flint Public Li-
brary's gateway to the Internet. The
Flint Public Library does not monitor
and has no control over the informa-
tion accessed through the Internet and
cannot be held responsible for its con-
tent. The Internet and its resources
may contain controversial or inappro-
priate material but the Flint Public
Library does not restrict access or pro-
tecr users from information that they
may find offensive.
Patrons use the lnternet at their
own discretion. Parents and guardians
of minor children, not the Flint Public
Library, are responsible for their chil-
dren's use of the Internet through the
library connection. Illegal activities or
any other activities intended to disrupt
network services or equipment are
prohibited. Materials copied on this
computer network may be subject to
copyright laws and may not be copied
without permission of the copyright
owner unless the proposed use falls
within the definition of fair use.
Policy Ingredients
The twenty-six policy elements can be
divided into three main categories. Re-
ferring again to table 1, policy elements
A through G describe general and miscel-
laneous policies such as disclaimers, sup-
port for the ALA kibrary Bill of Rights
in lnternet policies, and offering Internet
training classes. Policy elements H
through P describe conditions for use,
such as sign-up sheets, time limits, print-
ing, required signed agreement forms,
and access for minors. Policy elements Q
through Z describe prohibited types of
behavior, such as vie~ving pornography,
violating copyright laws, harassing oth-
ers, and misrepresenting oneself.
Disclaimers
Only three of the twenty-six policy ele-
ments were found in the policy state-
ments of more that 50 percent of the
seventy-five libraries surveyed, and these
were all general, disclaimer-type policy
elements. Eighty percent of the library
policies contain a disclaimer of the
brary's responsibility for the content of
the lnternet. Sixty percent include a
statement concerning parents' responsi-
bility for monitoring their children's ac-
cess to the Internet. Fifty-seven percent
warn users that they might find offensive
material on the Internet. Forty-five per-
cent of the policies address the revoca-
tion of lnternet privileges, as in the fol-
lowing statement from the Grand Prairie
(Ill.) Public Library: "Use ~f the lnternet
is a privilege, not a right, and inappro-
prmte use will resuh in a cancellation of
th~s privilege."
Conditions for Internet Use
Policy element~H through P describe
conditions for use of the Internet. In this
area significant differences between the
small, the medium, and the large libraries
were reflected. The large libraries are
much less likely than the small and me-
dium libraries to place any restrictions
on who can use the lnternet, under what
conditions it can be used, and for how
long it can be used. Thirty-two percent
of small libraries, 22 percent of medium
libraries, and none of the large libraries
require that an acceptable-use agreement
be signed. Thirty-two percent of small
cess to specific sources determined to
be inconsistent with its mission..."
In actuality, anecdotal evidence sug-
gests the number of small and medium
public libraries employing filtering soft-
ware is probably higher than the number
reflected in the policy statements.
Prohibited B/pes of Behavior
A total of ten separate types of behavior,
contained in policy elements Q through
Z, are prohibited in various policy state-
ments. Considering how much less re-
strictive the large libraries are in their
The large libraries are much less likely than
the small and medium libraries to place
any restrictions on who can use the Internet,
under what conditions it can be used, and
for how long it can be used.
libraries have time limits, as opposed to
only 14 percent of large libraries: Time
limits imposed range from twenty min-
utes to two hours. Twenty-four percent
of small libraries and 26 percent of me-
dium libraries have sign-up sheets, while
sign-up sheets are found in only 7 per-
cent of large libraries. Twenty-four per-
cent of small libraries require parental
consent to use the lnternet, while none of
large libraries do, although the Chicago
Public Library allows children under
twelve to use the Internet only when
accompanied by an adult.
Three of the small libraries note that
they charge fees for accessing the ln-
ternet: the Burlingame (Kan.) Public Li-
brary charges ten cents per minute, and
the El Dorado County (Calif.) Public Li-
brary charges two dollars per hour.
Three of the small and medium libraries
and none of the large libraries state that
they use filtering software, although the
Boston Public Library recently an-
nounced that it, too, is in the process of
implementing filtering. It appears that,
where filtering software is involved, the
tendency of most libraries is to be dis-
creet about it in their policies, as is the
case with the Clearwater (Fla.) Public
Library,
"...the Clearwater Public Library
provides a mechanism to re~trict ac-
PUBLIC LIBRARIES MAy/JUNE 1997
158
conditions for using the Internet, it came
as a surprise to find that there is little
overall variation between the three
groups of libraries in the number of pro-
hibited activities. In fact, the large librar-
ies are sometimes more restrictive as re-
gards several policy elements. Large
libraries more often bar viewing pornog-
raphy, illegal activities, commercial use
of the lnternet, and attempts to violate
system security than do small libraries.
The most common types of behavior
prohibited overall are violations of copy-
right and/or software licenses (32 per-
cent), illegal activities (36 percent), and
attempts to violate system security (36
percent). Viewing pornography (12 per-
cent), using one's own software (24 per-
cent), harassing others over the lnternet
(20 percent), sending e-mail messages
(13 percent), using one's own diskettes (5
percent), misrepresenting oneself (7 per-
cent), and commercial use of the lnternet
(9 percent) are also listed.
To determine why so many public
libraries go into such detail about the
specific types of behavior that are unac-
ceptable when using the Internet, I asked
several librarians who were involved in
the process of formulating their libraries'
policies what it was they ~vere trying to
achieve. Most expressed concern about
negative publicity surrounding the ln-
ternet. Angle Stuckey of the DeKalb
County (Ga.) Public Library said, "Basi-
cally, we were trying ro protect ourselves
from some of the horror situations we
had heard about by making our points
very clearly stared." Lynn Dennis of the
Roselle (111.) Public Library stated that
"The main thing we were trying to ad-
dress was liability." Lynn Daugherty, Di-
rector of the Jasper County (Ind.) Public
Library, said, "To protect ourselves from
upset patrons, from copyright infringe-
ment charges or charges stemming from
patron misuse of the Net. To handle the
expected heavy traffic our workstations
will see, with fair and equitable results."
The librarians I talked to all noted
that, so far, they have experienced fewer
difficulties than they had originally an-
ticipated in enforcing their policies.
Angle Stuckey reported a minimal num-
ber of problems, Lynn Dennis said she
has not encountered any yet, and Chris-
topher Jackson of the Monroe County
(Ind.) Public Library said, "So far, I think
it has been quite successful, but mostly
because our patrons have not engaged in
behavior which tests it."
Conclusion
Overall, the seventy-five public libraries
agree on very little. The only policy ele-
ment that comes close to reflecting a
general consensus among policy-makers
is a disclaimer stating that the library is
not responsible for what users find on the
lnternet. Three other policy elements
(parental responsibility for children, a
warning about the existence of poten-
tially offensive material, and the loss of-
lnternet privileges for violating policies)
are at or near the 50 percent mark in
terms of the frequency with which they
appear in the examined policies.
The diversity in policies may be due
to the newness of the Interner, and the
fact that the lnternet is not particularly
analogous to any other library resource,
service, or activity. Clearly, it will be
some time before librarians agree on
whether the lnternet is a service or a
resource, if it is more like a print medium
or more like a broadcast medium, and
what constitutes "selection" with re-
gards to the Internet. ·
National Family
Caregivers Week 1997
This year National Family Care-
givers Week will be held No-
vember 23-29. The National
Family Caregivers Association
(NFCA) offers brochures, post-
ers, buttons, T-shirts, and other
promotional materials to sup-
port NFC week activities. For
more information about NFC
week activities contact: NFCA,
9621 E. Bexhlll Drive, Kens-
ington, MD 20895; phone 301-
942-6430 or 1-800-896-3650;
emall: info{} nfcacares.org.
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159
ils y. our kid caught
up the Web?-
How TO FIND THE BEST PARTS~AND AVOID THE OTHERS.
Tl~ o 14-year-old Tracy Weinberg,
the most exciting thing about
being published on the YVortd
Wide Web wasn't seeing her name in
lights. What impressed her instead
was the response from people every-
where. She and three
classmates in Eastchester,
researched, wrote,
and illus/zated an AIDS handbook for
middle-school children. Friends from
other schools were impressed. E-mail
from South Carolina to Wyoming
praised the work, asking permission
to quote from it. The handbook, lo-
cated on the school's home page (at
~z/W.westnet. com/~rickd), even caught
the attention of a major publisher, who
photographed the four young authors
for a community health textbook.
"It's exciting that it really doesn't
matter what age you are," Weinberg
says. "If something's good enough, it
can be put up there for everyone to
s. ee. It's not just your parents, it's not
lust your teachers, it's the World
V~ide Web, so it's open to anyone."
But that very openness has some
parents concerned. When 14-year-
old Annie, in West Virginia, uses
the family computer to go online,
her mother, Pamela, is usually near
enough to throw an occasional
glance at the screen. What Mom
wasn't told until recendy was that
when Annie was home alone, her
male friends would drop by and
check out the latest "adult" Web
sites. The boys' game came to an end
by accident, when Pamela changed
her password. "I guess I just was
lucky," she says. "I trust her, but I
don't n'ust those
The sudden growth Inter-
net and online se nad
a slew of new es possible
for kids. Besides publish-
lng essays to the entire
world, children are strik-
ing up conversations with
new friends on the opposite
coast, playing games, down-
loading recordings of ele-
phant seal grunts to use in
school reports--and
in SOme cases ogling
dirty pictures.
In short order,
cyberspace has be-
come a big part
of many families'
lives. Half the kids
who read Zillions,
our children's maga-
zine, have gone on-
line at home.
Even if your child
is not yet among
the estimated 2.6
million youngsters
surfing, chatting,
and e-mailing via
the family com-
puter, she or he
will probably join the
dub soon, as sofia-are
gets friendlier and
gets faster. Five years
Asking for trouble?
Giving your child
access to the Web
means opening the
door to a world of
fun,
from now, according to the New
York research firm Jupiter Commmfi-
cations, there may be 10 million
youngsters online.
That makes eyberspace a mixed
blessing. Most parents are used to
finding themselves lagging behind
their children's familiarity with a
digital toy. But understanding and
monitoring this medium poses new
challenges.
For one, its content is far more
varied and less regulated than tele-
vision; virtually anyone with access
to a computer and modem can post
words and images on the World
Wide Web. The medium is also
interac6ve--a child can easily drift
into conversation with perfect strang-
ers. And, as in any big city, there is
a fair share of creeps,
porn shops, and tawdry
encounters among the
cultural treasures, play-
grounds, and libraries.
Policing a shoot-'em-up
video game is a cinch by
comparison.
To help you get up
m speed, we've prepared
this parent's guide to
cyberspace. It is the
result of many hours
spent surfing the Web
and online services, and talking
with children, parents, and teach-
ers. SVe also tested~ "babysit-
ter" programs (see page 30).
The good stuff
~i~~'~1 The Internet's attrac-
bare n0 tntefnet acces~
~aars a ~'
many ~; the burden
fails hardest on those In
who own fewm' home
uml~ NetDay, a
tions are quite extra-
ordinary, according to
both kids and teachers.
The list of services grows
daily; most are free.
In a recent survey,
Zillions readers told us
that e-mail, chat rooms,
and games were their fa-
vorite activities. Teachers
also lauded the Inter-
net's ability to connect kids with class-
mates, teachers, and other children.
Cyberspace: The promise
Four ways-the Web serves children well
· Help with homework. A good way to start looking is with the views ofYellowstone's thermal ponds
Vqeb search serdce Yahooligaus (=,,ww.yahooligam. cora). It mm~
up a number of homework-oriented sites, though of uneven
quality. B.J. Pinchbeck's Homework Helper (tristate.pgb. net/
~pinchl3) has hundreds of linlcs to Web sites by subject. The
10-year-old host promises, "ffyou can't find it here, then you
just can't find it." At rt~nie.dLrtevem-tech.edu/curricuIum/aska.btmI
and similar sites, users e-mail questions to experm. On his own
Web page, a seventh-grader calling kimself Nerdfinger offers
help but warns, "Don't rely on me." Otherwise, kids can lay
one of the regular search engines for information for projects.
· Meeting other children. Cyberspace offers opportunities
to make friends and experience other cultures by exchanging
e-mail with a "keypal.' America Online and Microsofx Net-
4- work both offer keypal services. Major
,~,7-:~a~C~'_~3~.~' online services feature topical bulletin
__,,.~"~,;a-,~ ~'~' boards and chat rooms where young-
alive. In CompoSe ,es
~--~W -2~ ° ~ ;-!i:: History Fo~m, students
~ identity W~'''''''- e found better security at A Girl's World
(=,~-::.agirlrworld.~), where users communicate through
numbers sim0ar m a post-office box, so they don't have to dis-
close their e-mail address. A keypal service with a distinctive
international flavor is run by the Norwegian Kidlink Society
(wr,~.kidlink. org) for 10- to 15-year-olds.
· Adventures. Museums have sprung up al!. over the Web.
You can visit the Louvre at m/rrraL~/rur~.~r~. San
Francisco's Exploratoriurn (z~-~.~/or, u0r/~.ed~) has inter°
active exhibits and experiments. Other sites feature electronic
field trips that explore the world by combining essays, color
live chats~with scientists, and live video sfiBs. In
and of cliffs in Iceland. The site in-
dudes a virtual-nmlity tour of Yellow-
stone. The Public Bmadcusfng Sys-
tem (w,w-w.pbs. org/imid~bs/karning
$ervices/efi. hrrtd) and NASA (quest.ar~.
nasa.gvv) offer their own adventures
for kids.
· Publishing on the Web. Children are posting their inter-
ests, wrifngs, and artwork for the world to see. Some online
services give subscribers a patch of Web real estate and pub-
lishing software. Often, kids mn create their own Web pages
using standard word-processing and drawing programs.
Even easier:. Existing publications welcome unsolicited work.
For example, a budding writer mn e-mail articles to Global Wave
(w~mv. etbilkent, edu. trl-cl~id/ ~.,,~.,
derya/g~v.htm) the Young ~.~,,~,.,~--
Writers Club's monthly that ~'-?1~,~ "- ":"~: "'
and computer skills as a head start on a career. ' ~,~
Want to find more ac~vities? Each online servic~ groups
its activities for kids in one place. The Web is more challenging;
its material is scattered and ever-changing. The best single
source we found online wa~ Yahooligans. Information is
~rouped f~st into broad areas tach as entertainment and sci-
ence, then narrower categories such as space or dinosaurs.
Here are some indexes worth exploring: Teachers@work
(~.te~b~r~.~0rk.m.m) has 1000 rated sites grouped by age
and subject; Berit's Best Sites for Children (mrw.ror3ran.com/
t~,odere/nofrar~/krit~.~l) also includes ra6ngs and cate-
godes. Sites for preschoolers are included in Webster: Kid's
Web! (-am~. ~ ~.r~r. arm/-o~mn~/ty/}/dm & b~m) and Ukimate
Children's Internet Sites (m.vividm. co~/uds, html). Links
to the Web pages of more than 6000 elementary and sec-
cded, urnn.edu/schooh, htmO.
28 ¢o~sc~£a REPORTS MaY 1997
One told ora reclusive Ohio eighth-
grader v-ho turned his academic and
social life around after striking up an
e-mail relationship with a Texas
cheerleader.
Homework was hardly the kids'
vorite activity. But some teachers
commented on children's new-found
ability to do research online, using
tools' like the Electric Library (at
~v.a~.elibrary.cvm and on Prodigy
as Homework Helper), a $9.95-per-
month searchable database of maga-
zines, newspapers, and books.
Others pointed to the benefit of
such services as America Online's
Homework Help, one of the best we
came across. It includes chat rooms
where users get live advice, but not
~IsweFs, fi.om teachers.
Several teacherspraised the Intemet's
power to motivate. Cahildren read more
in cyberspace, some said, because they
control the subject matter; cyberspace
provides more of a feeling of working
with others than does a book or TV
show; students with Internet access at
home continue work begun in class.
Vernon Dunn, with 20 years' experi-
ence teaching in Utah schools, observed
that "getting fired seniors to be excited
about learning again has always been
a herculean task, but using the Inter-
net created more enthusiasm than
have ever seen about research papers."
Troublin'g sites abound
On the other hand, adult images
and troubling ideas ma)' be just a few
clicks away. We quickly found sexu-
ally explicit photographs, as well as
material about the Klan and American
Nazis. To keep children out, many
adult sites impose a registration fee
that requires a credit card, but many
others take no effective measures.
Whatever your level of concern
about adult material, here's how to
tell if your child has seen it:
· Re~4ew your browser's bookmarks
for sites your child plans to revisit-
· Examine your browser's history
file, which shows recent visits. Search
the hard drive for files or folders with
names containing the word "history."
· Search for files that might con-
tain images, with names containing
.gif, jpg, .sit, .tif, or.zip.
Also disturbing is the poten~al that
kids chatting in online semces or
people with ulterior mo-
rives. About one-third of
the Zillions readers who
have gone online com-
plained about proble~ns
with other users trying
to get their password or
using bad language.
Though reported cases
of abuse originating on-
line are rare, there are
few ways to verify a chat
companion's identity. In-
deed, Annie, the West 'v*aginia 14-year-
old, herself worries that someone on-
line "can find out information about
you and maybe start stalking you."
Chat rtoms we v/sited prov/ded
warnings and safety guidelines. Some
online services also let parents lock
out chat rooms. AOL's kids' area has
a chat room that's supposed to be off-
limits to adults--and has a "guide-
pager" button for summoning help.
,~ J * Tellkidstheyshould
~i~1 never give out identifying informa-
~l*~ j fion, such es an address, school name,
{It~ ~t telephone number, picture, or pass-
,-"4,:1~1~ i'~ word to anyone they
~.'~ L. ~ I~erlt'an~ don't personally know.
-~'v~5~ ~ Commercial · Never allow a ehild
· :~ll~ ~ e~a~me to arrange a face-to-face
~q ofthe
~dJf etaboreteand mee~ng without your
~l'~ entertaining, pcn-~ssion. M~k¢ any
~ ~ Cartoon meetings in a public
characters seg preducts place and go along, too.
and Idde are eewarded fer · Tell them not to re-
flmeg eut market smamy~ spond to messages that
are suggestive or belligerent or that
make them feel uncomfortable--and
to tell you if they encounter any.
(Forward a copy to your service pro-
dder and seek assistance.)
More hints for avoiding harassment
are available at v.m~,w, mL~ingki&.org.
Sefiing to 'digital kids'
New forms of deceprive advertising
and privacy invasion are a serious,
Shielding your kids Online services
The four major ones provide a varieW
of features to protect children. (CONSUMER
REPORTS has agreements with AOL
and CompuServe to provide electronic
versions of our information to those
services' members.) Chat rooms and
bulletin boards are generally monitored;
it's easy to report offensive behavior.
All let you restrict use of proprietary
features. All except MSN provide a free
copy of Cyber Patrol blocking software.
AOL and Prodigy provide the most sefeW
and convenience, MSN the least.
America Onflne
[AOL)
Excellent conttula.
You can create up to
four additional sign-on
names, each with its own password, so
several children can sign on whenever
they please. Privileges can be tailored to
each child. A younger one can be limited
to AOL's kids' area, which includes its own
ds' Web browser, search engine, and chat
rooms. Older children can have access to
NOL's other areas, but with restrictions on
riskier activities like regular chat rooms.
names, so whatever restrictions you set up
apply to everyone in your household who
doesn't know a special password. You can
restrict access to some of CompuServe's
proprietary features either indefinitely or just
for the current session. You can't fine-tune
those restrictions, but there are controTs to
separately turn off a group of Interact features.
Microsoft Netwo~
pmSN)
Parental control relies
entirely on Microsoft'sWeb
browser, Internet Explorer,
which relies, in turn, on the
Recreational Software Advisory
Council system for labeling sites {see
"Web babysitlers,~ page 30). That's fine
for restricting access within MSN, since
Microsoft has rated its own content, but--
as our tests of Internet Explorer showed--
it's not adequate for the Web itself.
Excellent controls. You
can set up six separate
sign-on names, each
with its own password.
You can control each
CompuSa'va name,s overal( access to such featurss as
Not as convenient as chat rooms the Web Usenet newsgroupa,
~__A~l~t'~nVr: ate no ~-maiL and games. Cyber Patro, provides
1
Shielding your kids We test eb 'babysitters'
Blocking software, a relatively new type of product, claims to act
as a high-tech chaperone. Each product steers a young cybernaut
clear of its own list of bad places and wards off other risks, such
as foul language or the ability to disclose a name, address, phone
number, or credit-card number.
To find out how well such products work, we bought and
installed four well-known titles--Cyber Patrol, Cybersitter, Net
Nanny, and SurfWatch. We set each to maximum protection,
then noted its ease of use and effectiveness in keeping us
from viewing 22 easy-to-fi nd Web sites that we had judged
inappropriate for young children.
We also tested an alternative method for blocking adult sites.
It relies on sites to label their content, and then relies on browser
software to spot those labels and block access. We tried MicrosoWs
Internet Explorer Web browser, which blocks Web sites labeled
with the voluntary industry ratings systems RSACI, and Safesurf,
which let parents set limits on violence, language, nudity, and
sexual content. (Netscape Navigator, the other major browser,
doesn't work with ratings.) Here's what we found:
None is totally effective, The Web changes too swiftly
for even a full-time staff to maintain a complete list of adult sites.
And a determined, computer-savvy child may very well be able
to circumvent those restrictions anyway.
Their standards may not match yours. This can be a concern
if a product doesn't let you view its list of blocked sites and more
so if you can't override the manufacturer's choices. The maker of
Cybersitter recently stirred a controversy by blocking the National
Organization for Women's Web site. But none of the products
below blocked access to a color photo of an aborted fetus on the
Web site of Operation Rescue, a pro-life group.
They may not work with your online service. Cyber Patrol
comes free with AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy. Before using a
different blocking product with your online service, make sure the
two are compatible.
They may disable your computer. Some manufacturers warn
that tampering with their product may disable your computer,
but don't explain how. That warning may dissuade your child
from doing so, but you should back up your hard drive regularly
just in case.
Industry ratings systems aren't widespread. Most Web
sites haven't adopted RSACI or Safesurf, the industry's voluntary
ratings systems, so a browser that relies on them, such as Internet
Explorer, can't effectively block adult material. Ironically, it's the
lack of ratings on child-oriented sites like Happy Puppy and
Sesame Street, rather than on adult sites, that prevents ratings
systems from working. If enough child sites used ratings, parents
using Explorer could sim ply block all unrated sites.
Here are the details on how they worked; the blocking programs
are listed in alphabetical order.
Cyber Patrol,
Version 3.10
· (Windows, Mac OS)
· Microsystams Software,
508 879-9000. www.
cyberpatroL com
°$29.95; frae to subscribers of AOL. CompuServe, Prodigy
It let us view 6 of 22 adult sites. You can select 12 categories of
adult material to control Web access and block the use of certain
words and phrases in e-mail and chat rooms. It supports industry
setting the computer's clock back a couple of hours. We tried that.
Not only couldn't we get online, Cyber Patrol actually snitched on
us.) The main screen is complex. Weekly updates to the blocked-
site list cost about $30 per year. You can't view the list, but you
can unblock addresses or add new ones.
Cybet~Rer, Ve~Jon 2,1
· (Windows only)
· Solid Oak Software, 805 967-9853,
www. solidoak, com
· $39.95 plus $5 shipping
It let us view 8 of 22 adult sites. Easy to use. Parents can view
a [ist of their child's activities, restrict what phrases are sent or
received, and block sites containing foul language. Updates to the
blocked-site list are free. Works with industry ratings. Somewhat
tamper resistant. When we removed some of its files, it failed to
block Web access but still kept an audit trail. You can't view the
blocked-site list or unblock any you disagree with. You can add
to the list.
Net Nanny, Version 3.1
· (Windows only)
· Net Nanny, 604 662-8522,
· $39.95, or $26.95 from Web site
This blocked none of our adult
sites; it came with a list of only a
few hundred blocked sites. You're
supposed to wait for free monthly
updates or add to the list yourself.
An audit trail lets you see which
sites your child was blocked from. Lets you block access to
discussion groups and chat rooms, and the use of certain words
and phrases in any program, even a word processor. You can
view the entire blocked-site list. Doesn't take advantage of
industry ratings.
SurfWatch, Version 1.6V2
· (Windows and Mac OS)
· Spyglass, 800 458-6GO0,
www. surNvatch, com
·~49,95
it let us view 4 of 22 adult sites. Blocks access to forbidden
discussion groups, chat rooms, and file libraries (FTP and
Gopher sites). The Windows version was the simplest product
we tested and is tamper-resistant. Updates to blocked-site list
cost $60 per year, you can't view the list, and the Windows
version won't let you add or unblock addresses, though a
new version soon will. The Mac OS version already does.
Doesn't restrict typing in e-mail or chat rooms; doesn't work
with industry ratings.
intemet F, xplomr, Version 3.0
· (W~ndews and Mac OS) ~ ~1~
· Mic resort. 800 426-9400, ~
www. microsoft cem/
ie/defau#.asp [ wm~,~,~m,,, w..,...~.~,~ ·
-Free
Let us view 19 of 22 adult sites, mainly because it relies on volun-
ratings. Parents can enforce online time limits and block access to t~a. ry ratings systems and most sites aren't rated. Has an option to
(Kids: Don't bother trying to get around parental time limits by kids' sites.
though less recogEzed, threat to kids.
Syndicated columnist Lawrence
Magid--the author of child-safety
guidelines available on major online
sen'ices--urges parents to "protect -
their children not just from the obvi-
ous bad guys that supposedly wear
trench coats and are out there to sex-
ually molest their k/ds, but fi-om other
forces in society, including companies
that may be law-abiding and whole-
some in many ways, but nevertheless
have a commercial interest in trying
to get their kids' loyalty."
There are few legal restrictions on
marketing to what the industry calls
"digital kids." Yet advertising on the
Web, with its ability to whisk a child
to a world ofinteraaive games and e-
mail, is more powerfiA than even TX;
advertising.
A site called KidsCom, for example,
does market research on children
under cover of an electronic play-
ground, rewarding them for answer-
ing questions with redeemable "Kids-
Kash." General Mills sugarcoats its
cereal advertising with entertainment
such as movie clips or sound. But for
sheer excess, nothing we saw topped
the McDonald's k/ds' site. Besides
hawking more than $700 worth of
company merchandise, it passes off
corporate press releases as history
lessons and environmentalism. It tells
k/ds that Ronald McDonald's "special
pal," a big, fuzzy, purple spokeschar-
acter with an "innocent, loving na-
ture," looks up to Ronald "as the ulti-
mate authority in everydfing.'
K~dsCom and a Disney site do urge
children to get parental permission
for questionnaires; both noti ,fy par-
ents by sending e-mail--but to an ad-
dress supplied by the child.
Also txoubling is k/ds' ready access
to the appealing fun and games on
sites promoting various brands of
beer and liquor. ,A~qd while few sites
promote cigarette brands, a number
promote the pleasures of smok/ng.
For news on industry practices, visit
the Center for Media Education at
tap.epn.org/cme. As we went to press,
the Better Business Bureau was draft:-
ing vdiuntmy indusm/guidelines, while
the FTC had announced June privacy
hearings. (For more on privacy con-
ceres, see Front Lines, page 6.) For
now, it's best to discuss your concerns
their favorite sites.
Consumer Used Car
Report8 Price Service
has the answers to help you get the best
deal on a 1988-96 used car. Whether
you're trading in, selling or buying, a
simple phone call can save you time
and money.
YOU can make the best deal ~
by knowing the difference
specific to your region ~vill
help you determine
~,/hen b~ying or s~ling a cae
exclu~iv~ ~0 our' g~ed~
. and have zi
?Ohly Si.75'pe~:
CONSUM£R REPORTS M~',' 1997 31
cSnter.htm http://www.gvn.neff-barb/center.htm
Attachment to Item
Homework Center
By Barb Chandler
"A Homework Center reinforces for students the importance of education, their schoolwork, and the
connection between community and what happens in school. This says an awfully lot about community
education and how important it is to support one another with the total concept of a village taking care of
our children," says Patricia Newsome, Deputy Superintendent of Schools. She was speaking of the new
Pilot Homework Center which will open Oct. 3rd at Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 7340 24th St.
Traditionally the library has been used by school children to research and study for their homework
assignments. Young people use the library as a place to go after school. The library has become school
study hall, babysitter, and leisure center for many young people. This summer, over 500 children
participated in a reading program at King Library. These numbers made the clear statement that youth
are eager to have a positive outlet for their energies and interests. Taking this need for a positive outlet a
step further, the library Administration approached the Foundation in Jan.'95 with a plan that would help
youngsters stay in school. They suggested that the library take a more direct role and give kids an
opportunity to use computers and get help with their homework. The Foundation agreed. "Education
comes with a pricetag, there are numerous partnerships of businesses and organizations that made the
homework center a reality. Our sincerest thanks go to: the City of Sacramento, U.S. Bank, Diamond
Flower Electric Instrument Co.,(USA), Inc., ARCO, BankAmerica, Chevron, Eagle Press, Ferrari Color,
GenCorp Foundation, Inc., Money Store, Raley's Supermarkets and Drag Centers, Sacramento Bee,
Teichert Foundation, USAA Foundation, A Charitable Trust, and Vision Service Plan."
After funding was made available a community needed to be chosen to test this project. The King
Regional Library community was selected because children are at high risk. The community has many
ethnically diverse neighborhoods, one-third of the adults do not have a high school diploma, gang
activity and substance abuse is a major problem. By providing the homework center for these youngsters
the hope is to be able to prevent youth from dropping out of school.
Councilman Sam Pannell, who along with Robbie Waters took a leadership role to get the Homework
Center project underway, said. "The homework center will provide children with opportunities that they
don't get on the educational campus. If children are to have any future in this society they defiantly must
learn to read. Lets try to make these positive opportunities a reality, by putting homework centers in
every library that we have in the Sacramento City Unified School District."
The center will have four computer stations with intemet access. There will be a staff of assistants from
The School of Education at California State University, Sacramento along with community volunteers
they will help the youngsters on an individualized basis. Students are invited to take part in the
Homework Center on the recommendation of teachers at three neighborhood schools, Edward Kemble
Elementary School, Mark Hopkins Elementary School, and John Still Center For Creative Expression.
Other students may use the Homework Center on a "space available" basis.
Edith Brandenburger summed up the concept of the Homework Center very nicely when she said, "The
Homework Center is much more than a collection of computers and materials in a library, it is a symbol,
a harbinger of what is possible when a community cares about ,,kids and education. It is taking the library
to its logical next step...a learning place beyond the classroom.
return to articles index
I ofl
07/01/97 15:09:54
~mple Essay htlp://www, fay~ech.cc.nc.us/-szahran/samrepap.htm
Mary Student
Research Paper Final Draft
Homework Assistance Programs in Public Libraries
The relationship between public libraries and schools has
changed dramatically since the latter part of the nineteenth
century, when that relationship consisted of little more than
the provision by libraries of "boxes of books, especially fiction,
for teachers to use in their classes" (Barron and Bergen 522).
Today, as our society experiences dramatic changes in the family
structure and the educational system, the relationship between
public libraries and schools has altered to accommodate these
changes. One service that many libraries have instituted to
address these needs is the homework assistance program. Whether
staffed by volunteers or employees, whether offered in the form
of an in-house tutorial or a telephone hotline, this service
offers to parents, teachers, and children alike much-needed help.
One of the major reasons that many libraries have developed
homework assistance programs in the last decade has been the
ever-growing number of unattended or latchkey children in public
libraries after school. As our family units have changed, either
to single-parent homes or families in which both parents work
full-time, there has been an increase in the number of children
left unattended after school, and many of them end up at public
libraries. In a random sample survey by Texas Woman's University
of public libraries in forty-two states and the District of
Columbia, three-fourths of the respondents reported that "an
average estimated number of 21 children, a~ed 10 to 12, were
in the library unattended for three to five days per week
between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 p.m" (Dowd 6).
Clearly, this situation has created a need for special
services, and many libraries have responded by implementing
homework assistance programs. In Augusta, Georgia, "one of the
public libraries in the East Central Georgia Regional Library
System that had a very low usage level was designated...
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S~ample Essay htlp://www.faytech.cc.nc.us/-szahran/samrepap.htm
exclusively as a homework center" (Dowd 8). A council, consisting
of parents, students, and members of both the library board and
the board of education, establishes policies and procedures and
plans programs. The center has grown in popularity since its
inception to become a "positive force in the...conununity"
(Dowd 8).
The Free Public Library in Montclair, New Jersey, had an
even more pressing need to accommodate latchkey children.
Surrounded by twelve elementary and high schools, all within
walking or bike-riding distance, this library is bombarded by
children of all ages every day after school. To deal with this
large number of unattended children, librarian Mary Riskind
"created a program called Homework Helpers to offer children
a service as well as to lift some of the burden from librarians"
(Adamec 31). With help from Literacy Volunteers of America,
Riskind was able to develop a tutoring program which pairs
adult volunteers with children who need homework assistance in
such areas as reading and math. The adults undergo special
training to be Homework Helpers, and they wear big, brightly
colored badges so that children can spot them easily. This
program has been a great success, and Riskind hopes to expand
it to serve more adolescents and children who are not native
English-speaking students, a group whose numbers are increasing
as the immigrant population grows in this area.
Mother program that offers homework assistance and tutoring
to young children has a unique twist: the volunteers are other
children. Described as "cross-age tutoring," this program in
Westlake, Ohio, pairs older students with younger students to
help them with one-on-one tutoring, particularly in reading.
Librarian Katie Dombey designed this service "to reach first-and
second-graders who have lost their enthusiasm for school because
they fell behind in reading" (Dombey 726). The Reading Team, as
participants are called, serves a twofold purpose: to help very
young children improve their reading skills early in their academic
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Sample Essay http://www.faytech.cc.nc.us/-szahran/samrepap.htm
lives and to offer older children, many of whom are latchkey
children, a chance to share their talents. These tutorials have
been received enthusiastically by parents, most of whom have'
noticed an increase in their children's academic performances
and desire to read independently. In addition, the number of
volunteers has grown, asword of the program has spread throughout
the community. Dombey describes the Reading Team as a great
example of "public library-school cooperation" (727).
In addition to in-house programs, many libraries offer
telephone assistance as well, especially through the use of
homework hotlines. These services not only provide specific
answers to homework questions, but they also provide much-needed
assurance to children left alone at home after school. In
Bridgeport, Connecticut, for example, a hotline staffed
primarily by teachers to offer help with homework has also
become a point of contact for unattended children. Program
director James McCauley says that "some children are going to
use the service just to have a chance to speak to someone ....
More and more, we have kids going home to empty houses" (Gutner 60).
Reference departments also function as homework assistance
programs, as any experienced librarian knows. In many instances,
requests made by students often lead librarians in new and
unexpected directions. A fifth-grader's request for a picture
of South Africa's new flag led reference librarian Elizabeth
Overmyer to a gopher site on the Internet which provided the
necessary graphics. Now, Overmyer routinely uses online
searches to find the latest information on current events
(Overmyer 39). Barbara Walker, a children's librarian in Aiken,
South Carolina, discovered that simply ordering multiple copies
of State Birds, State Flags, State Flowers, and State Trees
(all four are titles of separate books) dramatically lessened
the homework burden for her library's reference department and
enabled her library to get maximum visible results on an
extremely tight budget. She also discovered, much to her surprise,
that many of her children's reference materials were being
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4 of 6
routinely used by adults in basic literacy programs who alsg_~ad
homework assignments and found these resources helpful (Walker 56).
Some libraries go even farther than offering in-house-
tutorials and telephone assistance to help students with their
homework. One library in Scottdale, Georgia, completely redesigned
a small branch to function exclusively as a homework center. Known
as the Table Grant Homework Center Library, this facility offers
a photocopier, typewriters, computers, film projectors, video and
audio equipment, and reference materials to students. The library
also offers assistance with the catalog, with reference questions,
and with interlibrary loans so that students may obtain resources
from other facilities (Wilson Library Bulletin'554).
Many libraries have redesigned their schedules and services
instead of their facilities to adapt to yet another major social
change, the restructuring of our educational system. With the
growth of charter schools, homeschoolers, and year-round schools,
many libraries now face demands that were unheard of just a decade
ago, and they have had to adapt to help these students as well as
those still in traditional schools. One library system, Douglas
Public Library District in Douglas County, Colorado, has seen
dramatic growth in staffing, programming, and circulation as it
has offered new services to the area's ever-growing number of non-
traditional students.
To accommodate the needs of students in charter schools,
which have no media centers yet, the library offers specific
services: "In addition to teaching library skills, the librarians
also buy materials, such as basic texts and primers, for use by
charter students" (Halverstadt 16). TO meet the needs of the
approximately 800 home-schooled children in Douglas County, the
library once again demonstrated flexibility and innovation. The
homeschoolers "use the library's collection, attend programs,
and bring in guest speakers for occasional workshops and classes,
which the library helps promote,, (Halverstadt 17). They even have
a gopher site on the Internet, created by a volunteer, which points
07/01/97 15:06:39
~qamp'le Essay
http://www, faytech.cc.nc.us/-szahran/samrepap.htm
them to sources specifically designed for homeschoolers. To satisfy
the demands of students in year-round schools~ the library has
developed the use of "teacher cards," which allow teachers in these
schools to have longer than usual check-out privileges for school
materials. Librarians have found that the benefits of year-round
school have affected the public library: "Students no longer
compete for materials on the same subject; since classes are
staggered, materials circulate throughout the year to different
classes" (Halverstadt 18). Finally, to keep these students reading
during their breaks, the library has instituted year-round
reading programs, similar to summer reading programs, and they
have met with great success.
The result of all of this innovation by the Douglas Public
Library District in Colorado has been enormous growth for the
library system. It has grown from 14 full-time employees in 1991
to 51 in 1995, and in 1994, the library circulated over a million
items for the first time, and more than two-thirds were children's
and young adult's materials (Halverstadt 18). The aggressive
campaign waged by this library system to meet the school and
homework demands of non-traditional students has met with
great success.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the homework assistance
programs implemented in different libraries is that they bring
together so many different elements within a single community
who are working toward a common goal. The public libraries work
in conjunction with the schools; volunteers ranging from parents
to teachers to retirees to students help children find answers
to their questions about homework; librarians find new ways to
solve old problems, and best of all, children learn to look
upon public libraries not as stuffy, intimidating institutions,
but as friendly, welcoming places where they can begin the
challenging task of becoming lifelong learners and users of
the library. With these programs, everyone wins.
5 of 6
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Sgmple Essay htlp://www.faytech.cc.nc.us/-szahran/samrepap.htrn
Works Cited
Adamec, Janet. "Homework Helpers: Making Study Time Quality
Time." Wilson Library Bulletin 65 (1990): 31-33.
Barron, Daniel, and Timothy Bergen, Jr. "Information Power: The
Restructured School Library for the Nineties." Phi Del~a
Kappan 46 (1992): 521-525.
"DeKalb Library System." Wilson Library Bulletin 57 (1983): 554.
Dombey, Kathryn. "Cross-age Tutoring Works Wonders." American
Libraries 19 (1988): 726- 27.
Dowd, Frances. "Latchkey Children in the Library." Children
Today 17 (1988): 5-8.
Gutner, Howard. "Dial H for Homework.,, Instructor 99 (1990):
58-60.
Halverstadt, Julie. "Catering to Students: A Public Library
Serves Alternative Schools." School Library Journal 41
(1995): 16-18.
Overmyer, Elizabeth. "Serving the Reference Needs of Children.,,
Wilson Library Bulletin 69 (1995): 38-41.
Walker, Barbara. "Frame of Reference: Research Materials for
Students." School Library Journal 40 (1994): 56.
6 of 6 07/01/97 15:06:40
pecial]y when
ay mooe¥.
the libra]v
world was ecstatic last week
when the Microsoft magnate
announced he was pouring
$200 million into public li-
braries. But it's going to take a
lot more than a one-time ghf to
propel most libraries into the
next century. For many, the
dream of an electronic para-
disc is starting to collide with
Take free Interoet access.
It's' fast beceming a common
offering-and rightly so: easy
availability of loads of informa-
tion is what libraries are all
about. But last week's Supreme
Court decision upholding free
speech on the Net will make
the jobs of many librarians
harder. They can refuse to sub-
scribe to Hustler magazine, but
they can't so easily keep its
electronic equivalent offa com-
puter screen. Now librarians
have to decide how-or wheth-
er-to restrict what their pa-
txons see. "Some parents think
we haven't gone far enough/'
says Arthur Dunphy, spekes-
man for the Boston Public Li-
brary, which recently instal]ed
faltering sofi~vare on the eom-
puters used by children under
17. Those same k/ds may use
adult, ,nfiltered computers
with a permission slip from
home. "The problem with fl-
ters is that there's a big differ-
ence between a 6-year-old and
a 16-year-old,' says Judith
Krug of the Amerieun Library
Association.
At the same time, palatial
new libraries are opening in
cities around the country, brimming with
the latest computer hardware. San Fran-
cisoo's was a huge suecass on opening day
last year. But nine months later, city li-
brarian Ken Dowlin--the force behind the
new library--resigned under fire, amid
nonstop complaints h%t the building was
over budget, cumbersome to use and tight-
Sometimes the most up-to-date librar-
ies simply lose Waek of their original mis-
sions. One scholar requested a book on
economies at New York's impressive, com-
puter-rich Science, Indush-y and Busi-
ness Library. The librarian looked at her
in surprise. 'that was published in the
New York's Science, Industry and Business Library
What About Books?
Some hi-tech libraries get Iow grades. BY LAURA SHAPIRO
'50s," he said. "fhat's not here. That's old.'
Many of the problems hovering over the
21st--centui~ library start in a traditional
phce: the budget. According to a recent
survey conducted by Library Jom'x~, tech-
nology costs at public libraries have soared
~ePe~. t i~...the l~t two years. Many of
their ~ook budgets to pay/or technology.
And invest/ag in ele~hva/cs means rein-
vesting in a few years. 'Purchasing equip-
ment and sofo~are is a big enough budget
prolilem, but keeping up w/th the new ver-
sions is going to be even worse," says Kar-
en Coyle, a Berkeley-based system analyst
for~the University of Calffomia~ "I want to
say to Gates, 'l~hanks, but are you gniug to
be here every three years to g~ve us up-
grades?'. And as any business that uses
PCs knows, just keeping m~,~es up and
One of the most radical attempts at es-
c~hhshing a modern library appears to have
?ermined to go ahead with technological
unprovements, state librarian Ba~ Kane
decided to stre~mllne the function that ac,-
tually keeps a library alive: collectin~ new
books and materials. He gave the entire
book-buying budget for the state library
system to Baker ~ Taylor Books. a major
wholesaler. Libraries commonly
outsouree many ta~ks, but to give up
nearly all euna'ol of acquisitions was
unprecedented. "I thought we could
lower our cost of operations and
move librarians into jobs serving the
publieF he says. "It has not proven
to be suecessfid."
Soon after the contract was signed
in April 1996, Baker & Taylor began
shipping books at a uniform rate of
$20.94 per item. "We got tons of pa-
perhaek duplicates of hardcovers we
already had," says librarian Debo-
rah Gutermuth. "We got cheap series
perbacks, like 'Sweet Val]ey High,' and
very few young-adult best sellers." Librari-
an Sylvia Mitchell says most of the people
she serves are kids and imimgrams. ~I
didn't need seven copies of'How Stella Got
Her Groove Back'," she says. Finally the
state Board of Education voted to end the
contract. According to B~F, many of the ll-
brarians' complaints were unfounded.
"We're trying to modify the contract and
make it workable," says Jim Ulsamer, pres-
ident of Baker ~r Taylor Books.
Hawaii's experiment collapsed at least
in paxt because it treated traditional li-
brary materials as ii' they were so many
widgets, and librarians as ff they were no
more than tour guides to the Internet. As
libraries reshape their budgets around the
demands of technology, they'll have to
make tough choices. These days they can't
afford to make dumb ones. ·
Gates · Ellison
= $300 Million
it comes t~ ~harity. Now two soth~are
cles I. anT Ellisun pledged gifts to
liun. Of dae two danatiuns, Ellison's is
more modest: Oracle will spend $100
NetPC un the desk of every student in
America. C, ates will lay out S:~00 mil-
lion of his own money over the next
five years to put computers into li-
braries. Microso~: will match it with
~200 million (retail value) worth of
sol, ware. While skeptics woMered ff
Gates had deliberately upstaged his
wl, philanthropists wore elated. S~id
Peter Hm~ of the Community Founda-
tion, 'A~ything that gets the ball mow
ing is positiv~ as far as I'm concerned.'
Iie~r~. Field and Griscom (right)
Smart Smut
A new Web magazine
takes sex seriously
~s'"'pwas sweating the Communications
1Decency Act. He and his part-
-.~,. nec Genevieve Field were prepar-
ing to launch Nerve, a new Web magazine
about sex. Some people might be tempted
to write off the young couple's publica-
tion as just another example of peraieious
Net smut. Indeed, Nerve (now up at
www.nervemag.com) is ~ of frank lan-
guage and explicit photographs-precisely
the kind of material deemed "indecent" a~d
"patently offensive" by the CDA's propo-
nents. But they would be wrong. "Our mag-
az/ne," says Griscom, a bright-eyed, 29-
year-old Brown University graduate, ~is a
good answer for why the Internet should
not be reduced to content for children."
But don't take his word for it. Nerve's
bold experiment comes with the impri-
matur of some of today's best writers. The
fledghng publishers solicited contributions
with a sincere, and remarkably effective,
pitch letter. So far, Griscom and Field's
forum that both men and women can love"
has attracted an impressive roster of con-
tributors. In the debut issue, Joycelyn
Elders defends masturbation, Norman
Mailer republishes an out-of-print inter-
view in which he discusses whurehouses
and pornography, journalist Ruth Shaht re-
views sex books and novelist Rick Moody
muses about his favorite erotic passage: a
selection from the journal Semiotext(e).
Naomi Wulfis on board for a future issue.
Now that the CDA is dead, Nerve must
tango with the real arbiter of content: ad-
vertisers. '"We're ahimst asking them what
~s acceptable," Griscom sa'-~s. ~,uA-'~ men"
there's his dad, who thin~s Nerve should be
about the consequences ofsax--kids.
family Pontiac. suddenly are driving
by wire--look Ma. no hands or
feet!--und tailgating at 80 mph?
Here, at the media dry run for
August's public dre~s rehearsal of the
world's first Aulomaled Highway
System, such poinls were
acknowledged as genuine concerns
being studied by transportation
experts who h,a. ve~.~t,e~ )~ard-wiring ~.
m 6't'g~s to li{~1~ t~/tr t lane. ,'"':'
They are even heavy into
examining ways a pilotless car can
avoid a tire carcass, dead mattress or
a refrigerator dumped by the
unipteUigent on intelligent
interslates. Or, if hackers can
reprogram and clone cell phones,
what havoc can they wreak on
computers controlling the speed and
separation of robot sedans?
"These are certainly things we are
addressing under the headings of
societal and institutional analyses,"
says James Rillings, a former NASA
researcher whose engineering career
highways, reduce traffic fatalities
adds. That's the technology of cruise
posiuun in relation to other hard
objects; of navigabon by the Global
Please see HIGHWAY, E6
San Diego ~,=
~ Peg~ sa Inch In diameter
inches sro sunk into pavement
,, . -
!.:.~lmml~aloal devl~a~: Installed
· Keeping your distance:
Caitrans says vehicles in
I-1§ experiment will be
kept about 9 to 12 feet
apart. The potential exists
to bring that space down
to about 6 feet.
Cars rvngonantonate highwayswillbeguidedundc~
~illlinal (speed and spacing)
control:
commands ,o car.s steering ;ctua,o,;. I[irl;er n~Y restrne mar'
(~ Longitudinal contlui: N~justs
What They' re Checking Out at Libraries
hathwater." Kent has decided against
· Pornography: Some patrons are signing on to the Internet
and liking what they see--X-rated materials. The practice has
led to controversy and to some facilities invoking restrictions.
women, digitized videos of sex acts and
By ROY RIVENBURG
for your tax dollars: providing
for research are now being hogged by
education. In L.A.'S Central Library, for
steered to online photos of naked
restrictions, as have county library
systems in Orange and D.A. counties.
But other librarians support controls.
"We said, 'Wait a minute,'" explains
Orlando, Fla., library spokeswoman
Mardyn Hoffman. "We're all for intel-
lectual freedom and freedom of infor-
mation, Ibut] we don't consider hard-
core pornography as tamllectuaL"
In Orlando, I~ton and elsewhere,
filter software is used to block access to
lnternet porn sites, which number in the
hundreds or perhaps thousands, now-
ever, the filters ~lso pose problems. For
starters, they invariably block perfectly
innocent World Wide Web sites.
Tbey also might cause legal headacbe~
The Amebean Civil LJbertie~ Union in
readying a lawsuit against Orlando's ill-
At the L.A. Central Ubca~y, researchers and porn fans alike use the compute~
12 feet
of 100
,d is a
n~ ~
ere ~J-
h our
r thai oftrn point te violence, In
wdl draft the ear ahead, Just lika
INTERNgT
G~nlla~ed/mm El
taring paltey. And I~t week. the U.S.
Sup{ems Court struck down the
Communications Decency Act.
doubling. ·even s tripling of. the
number of cars cun~ntly on Les
Angeles freeways.
cataioR, look up 'Bambi" and find a
' storybook about a baby deer. Now
they can go to the library's Inter-
net terminal, type in "Bambi" and
get more than 9.000 references--
from "Tammy's Ilome Page"
where "Thumper and Flower come
out to play" to 'Bambi--one of our
hot Cyber Sex Toy Play Things!"
Librarians who were once ac-
customed to reviewing hooks be-
fore putting them on the shelves
now find the information super-
highway is delivering goods they
never would have ordered. Coping
with that change has become "the
issue of the moment" for libraries
from B~ton to Anaheim, says a~,
representative of the Chicago-
based American Library Assn.
Some librarians insist the porn
problem has been blown out of
proportion.
'q'here's more of it in the press
than there is in actual libraries,"
says Caroline Oyama, a spokes-
woman for the New York Puldlc
Library. Kent agrees, saying the
And in a nation with a Con~titu-
h. ICa-~,,,.flo~' ~'nr et~oourages free,agents
· e re- and control freaks, how many will
,long- be willing ts turn over their ear
Corps keys to a computer?
;houl- Demo '97 will bo staged here
,yotas Aug. 7-10 to show off NAN$C's
but of smalt fleet' of intelligent cars and
~ dlf- ts short stretch of magic highway.
before Washington movers, Call-'
HSC'a fornia shakers and n whole world
of newspeople.'
xns of The public is Invited to visit the
~uring NAHSC Education Center, view a
s, and mini-track for demonstrations of ye-
since hlcle technologies, and maybe attend
r AHS events at the 7.6-mile test stretch.
mplex Just don't e~pect to see automated
y scl- d~,s chasing those automatsd cars.
focus on peep-show patrons diverts
vattent~n, ,froql,,the.~myriad educa-
tional'wonde~ of the Jntcrnet.
"Pornography ts a very small
dimension," she says, "The Internet
has some drawbacks, but there are
so many more pmiUve aspects." She
~ bur-
,m the
ion to
researchers sometimes have to
walt In line because the machines
are tied up by people perusing
personal sds or X.rated chat
rooms. Still, it's impassible to know
how much time or money is de-
voted to parn because librarians
don't monitor the public terminals.
A reporter likewise had trouble
estimating the extent of the prob-
lem during a recent visit because
many computers are semi-private.
But one of the sex browsers, an
]8-year-old college student who
declined to be identified (we'll call
him Patron X ), says he and at least
half a do?~n friends--plus assorted
businessmen and "street people"-
routinely cruise the Central
brary Internet for porn.
That last part. computer-savvy
homeless people, might seem hard
to imagine, but Patron X says
they're "really good at this ....
We trade secrets."
One of the most prized tricks:
finding lnternet sites that post
credit-card-number formulas that
can be used to get into live-action
Web sites where customers must
pay up to $10 a minute to type
instructiodn~4b a stripper and watch
her per forte as requested.
(Librarian Kent says she is un-
aware of credit-card fraud on li-
brary computers and would report
any such incidents to palice. Also, a
large online porn operator, Internet
l~ntertainment Group, says it ha~n't
traced any credit fraud te libraries.
although not all cases are traced.)
Is there ~nything to stop chil-
dren from seeing such material?
Not really, although the library is
experimenting with "privacy
screens" that prevent side-angle
views of cnmputer displays.
The L.A. County library system
has adopted a slightly different tack.
Users must show library cards and
sign in with a librarian before using
the compoters. And children may
log on only if their patents have
signed a permission slip acknowl-
edging that the library doesn't
monitor or control lnternet contenL
he cost of lntsrnet access var-
Ties. Some libraries are hooked
into a network that pays a fiat fee
for unlimited lnternet time. Others
purcha~se phone time by the hour.
The L.A. city library system.
which has more than 1,000 termi-
nals at 68 branches, spends about
$3,200 a month for lnternet access.
officials say. The county's non-
networked computers cost abe? $2
an hour to run.
Kent says she realizes people
might object to taxpayer-financed
porno hunts and long-distance
chat-room conversations. But she
notes that libraries are filled with
books that people find distasteful:
"We probably have something to
offend everyone."
Others, however, are willing to
draw lines.
In F'ebruary, Boston Mayor
Thomas M. Menlno, reacting to
news reparts of angry parents,
decreed that all cry computers,
including the library's, must have
fiRerlng programs to screen out
]nternet indecency. And Ohio's
state Assembly just 0K'd a bill that
would mandate filter software on
library hdernet terminals.
But filters, which go by such
names as Cyberpatrol and Net-
Nanny, aren't a panacea. Some
impede access to sites containing
certain words, such as sex. thus
inadvertently blocking research on
Sussex, sextants and sextuplets.
Others rely on lists of sites that
evaluators consider objectionable.
None are foolproof, says Con-
sumer Reports magazine. "Our
conclusion was that you couldn't
use one of these things and feel
certain the child would not be able
te go to adult sites," ~ys Senior
Editor Jeffrey Fox.
In California, where Internal ac-
casa is available to patrons in 65%
of the state's library systems, only
22% reported using filters in a
~recent survey by the State Library.
In other cases, the prospect of
controversy has persuaded some
libraries, such as Anaheim's, to
avoid thc issue altogether. In the
1960s, Anaheim was a battleground
and in a way, it's paid off," says
So for now, Anaheim's lone In-
· Times staff writer Steve Em-
moas conblboted to this rebo~t.
TOUCH IT
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Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks:
an Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS
INTRODUCTION
The world is in the midst of an electronic communications
revolution. Based on its constitutional, ethical, and historical
heritage, American librarianship is uniquely positioned to address
the broad range of information issues being raised in this
revolution. In particular, librarians address intellectual freedom
from a strong ethical base and an abiding commitment to the
preservation of the individual's rights.
Freedom of expression is an inalienable human right and the
foundation for self-government. Freedom of expression encompasses
the freedom of speech and the corollary right to receive
information. These rights extend to minors as well as adults.
Libraries and librarians exist to facilitate the exercise of these
rights by selecting, producing, providing access to, identifying,
retrieving, organizing, providing instruction in the use of, and
preserving recorded expression regardless of the format or
technology.
The American Library Association expresses these basic principles
of librarianship in its CODE OF ETHICS and in the LIBRARY BILL OF
RIGHTS and its Interpretations. These serve to guide librarians and
library governing bodies in addressing issues of intellectual
freedom that arise when the library provides access to electronic
information, services, and networks.
Issues arising from the still-developing technology of
computer-mediated information generation, distribution, and
retrieval need to be approached and regularly reviewed from a
context of constitutional principles and ALA policies so that
fundamental and traditional tenets of librarianship are not swept
away.
Electronic information flows across boundaries and barriers despite
attempts by individuals, governments, and private entities to
channel or control it. Even so, many people, for reasons of
technology, infrastructure, or socio-economic status do not have
access to electronic information.
In making decisions about how to offer access to electronic
information, each library should consider its mission, goals,
objectives, cooperative agreements, and the needs of the entire
community it serves.
The Rights of Users
Ail library system and network policies, procedures or regulations
relating to electronic resources and services should be
scrutinized for potential violation of user rights.
User policies should b~ developed according to the policies and
guidelines established by the American Library Association,
including GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF
POLICIES, REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES AFFECTING ACCESS TO LIBRARY
MATERIALS, SERVICES AND FACILITIES.
Users should not be restricted or denied access for expressing or
receiving constitutionally protected speech. Users' access should
not be changed without due process, including, but not limited to,
formal notice and a means of.appeal.
Although electronic systems may include distinct property rights
and security concerns, such elements may not be employed as a
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subterfuge to deny users' access to information. Users have the
right to be free of unreasonable limitations or conditions set by
libraries, librarians, system administrators, vendors, network
service providers, or others. Contracts, agreements, and licenses
entered into by libraries on behalf of their users should not
violate this right. Users also have a right to information,
training and assistance necessary to operate the hardware and
software provided by the library.
Users have both the right of confidentiality and the right of
privacy. The library should uphold these rights by policy,
procedure, and practice. Users should be advised, however, that
because security is technically difficult to achieve, electronic
transactions and files could become public.
The rights of users who are minors shall in no way be abridged.
(See: FREE ACCESS TO LIBRARIES FOR MINORS: AN INTERPRETATION OF
THE LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS; ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND SERVICES IN
THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM; and ACCESS FOR CHILDREN AND
YOUNG PEOPLE TO VIDEOTAPES AND OTHER NONPRINT FORMATS.
EQUITY OF ACCESS
Electronic information, services, and networks provided directly
or indirectly by the library should be equally, readily and
equitably accessible to all library users. American Library
Association policies oppose the charging of user fees for the
provision of information services by all libraries and information
services that receive their major support from public funds (50.3;
53.1.14; 60.1; 61.1). It should be the goal of all libraries to
develop policies concerning access to electronic resources in
light of ECONOMIC BARRIERS TO INFORMATION ACCESS: AN
INTERPRETATION OF THE LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS and GUIDELINES FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES, REGULATIONS AND
PROCEDURES AFFECTING ACCESS TO LIBRARy MATERIALS, SERVICES AND
FACILITIES.
INFORMATION RESOURCES AND ACCESS
Providing connections to global information, services, and
networks is not the same as selecting and purchasing material for
a library collection. Determining the accuracy or authenticity of
electronic information may present special problems. Some
information accessed electronically may not meet a library's
selection or collection development policy. It is, therefore,
left to each user to determine what is appropriate. Parents and
legal guardians who are concerned about their children's use of
electronic resources should provide guidance to their own
children.
Libraries and librarians should not deny or limit access to
information available via electronic resources because of its
allegedly controversial content or because of the librarian's
personal beliefs or fear of confrontation. Information retrieved
or utilized electronically should be considered constitutionally
protedted unless determined otherwise by a court with appropriate
jurisdiction.
Libraries, acting within their mission and objectives, must
support access to information on all subjects that serve the
needs or interests of each user, regardless of the user's age or
the content of the material. Libraries have an obligation to
provide access to government information available in electronic
format. Libraries and librarians should not deny access to
information solely on the grounds that it is perceived to lack
value.
In order to prevent the loss of information, and to preserve the
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cultural record, libraries may need to expand their selection or
collection development policies to ensure p~eservation, in __~-'
appropriate formats, of information obtained electronically.
Electronic resources provide unprecedented opportunities to
expand the scope of information available to users. Libraries-
and librarians should provide access to information presenting
all points of view. The provision of access does not imply
sponsorship or endorsement. These principles pertain to
electronic resources no less than they do to the more traditional
sources of information in libraries. (See: Diversity in
Collection Development: an Interpretation of the Library Bill of
Rights)
Adopted by the ALA Council, January 24, 1996
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Draft version 1.1
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Access to Electronic Information, Services and Networks:
An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
In January of 1996, the American Library Association
approved Access to Electronic Information, Services and
Networks: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.
kLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee then convened an ad hoc
membership group of representative librarians to produce a
sample set of questions and answers to clarify the
implications and applications of this Interpretation.
Many of the following questions will not have a single
answer. Each library must develop policies in keeping with
its mission, objectives, and users. Librarians must also be
cognizant of local legislation and judicial decisions that
may effect implementation of their policies. All librarians
are professionally obligated to strive for free and
unfettered access to information.
INTRODUCTION
1. What are the constitutional, ethical, and historical
factors that uniquely position American librarianship to
provide access to electronic information?
Electronic media offer an unprecedented forum for the
sharing of information and ideas envisioned by the Founding
Fathers in the U.S. Constitution. Their vision cannot be
realized unless libraries provide free access to electronic
information, services, and networks.
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Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and others laid the basis
for a government that made-education, access to information,
and toleration for dissent cornerstones of a great
democratic experiment. With geographic expansion and the
rise of a mass press, American government facilitated these
constitutional principles through the creation of such
innovative institutions as the public school, land grant
colleges, and the library. By the close of the 19th
century, professionally trained librarians developed
specialized techniques in support of their democratic
mission. In the 1930's, the Library Bill of Rights
acknowledged librarians' ethical responsibility to the
Constitution's promise of unfettered access to information
in all formats to all people.
2. What is the library's role in facilitating freedom of
expression in an electronic arena?
Libraries are a national information infrastructure
providing people with access and participation in the
electronic arena. Libraries are essential to the informed
debate demanded by the Constitution and for the provision of
access to electronic information resources to those who
might otherwise be excluded.
3. Why should libraries extend unfettered access to
electronic information resources to minors?
Those libraries with a mission that includes service to
minors should make available to them a full range of
information necessary to become thinking adults and the
informed electorate envisioned in the Constitution. The
opportunity to participate responsibly in the electronic
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arena is also vital for nurturing the information literacy
skills demanded by the Information Age. Only parents and
legal guardians have the right and responsibility to
restrict their children's--and only their own children's--access to any electronic
4. Do ALA intellectual freedom and ethics policies apply to
the provision of access to electronic information, services
and networks?
Yes, because information is information regardless of
format. Electronic information, services and networks are
increasingly recognized as vital to the provision of
information that is the core of the library's role in
society.
5. Does the ALA require that libraries adopt the Library
Bill of Rights or the ALA Code of Ethics?
No. ALA has no authority to govern or regulate libraries.
ALA's policies are voluntary and serve only as guidelines
for local policy development.
6. Does ALA censure libraries or librarians who do not
adhere to or adopt the Library Bill of Rights or the ALA
Code of Ethics?
No.
7. Do libraries need to develop policies about access to
electronic information, services, and networks?
Yes. Libraries should develop, formally adopt and
periodically reexamine policies that derive from their
particular mission and goals. Such policies should be
clearly communicated and publicized so that users are made
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aware of applicable procedures.
8. What about copyright in an electronic age?
Copyright law for material in electronic form is an area of
great concern and uncertainty. Nevertheless, librarians
have an ethical responsibility to keep abreast of copyright
and fair
use rights. This responsibility applies to the libr
own on-line publications and the activities of library
users, as well as contractual obligations with authors and
publishers.
RIGHTS OF USERS
9. What can we do when vendors/network providers/ii
attempt to limit or edit access to electronic information?
Librarians should be strong advocates of individuals' rights
to choose what information to access, whether it be in print
or non-print format and no matter what the age of the
individual. Libraries and their governing authorities
should work closely with vendors/network providers/licensers
to develop contractual agreements that ensure the least
restrictive access to electronic information.
Libraries and their parent institutions and consortium
partners should communicate their concerns and their support
of ALA intellectual freedom policies to vendors regarding
any contractual services that attempt to place unreasonable
limitations or conditions on users' access to the full
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range of electronic information sources available.
10. How can libraries help to ensure library user
confidentiality in regard to electronic information access?
Many states have enacted legislation to help ensure
confidentiality of patron-specific library records. In
accordance with the law and the ethical responsibility of
librarians, libraries should carefully and periodically
review their policies and procedures for maintaining
confidentiality of any personally identifiable use of
library materials, facilities, or services, including
electronic circulation and information access use records.
Access to such information should be limited to appropriate
library or systems administration staff and limited to staff
access only for the purposes of immediate circulation
control or for monitoring overall institutional electronic
information access statistical use trends. Such records
should not be made available to government agencies except
under court order, following a showing of good cause based
on specific facts, by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Libraries, consortiums, automated circulation system
vendors, and electronic information vendors should strive to
ensure that electronic records of individual use be strictly
safeguarded and should be designed for automatic and timely
deletion from databases as soon as possible after use.
System access should be designed so that "last use"
indicators are not tied to individual patron identification
and so that "last use" searches are not easily replicated by
other users or do not remain on terminal screens after
patron use. In addition, any library or institutional
monitoring of numbers or length of time that various
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electronic information sources are accessed should be
general in nature and not tied to specific patron use data.
Libraries and their institutions should provide physical
environments that facilitate user privacy for accessing
electronic information. For instance, libraries should
consider placing terminals, printers, and access stations so
that user privacy is enhanced. In addition, policies should
be implemented to maintain privacy of patrons if procedures
such as signing up for use of various databases or
electronic access stations are necessary.
Libraries should be sensitive to'the right of persons with
disabilities and special needs to confidential access to
electronic information sources.
11. Our library is just one of many autonomous institutions
in a consortium. How can we be sure that our cooperating
partners honor the confidentiality of our library users in a
shared network environment?
The importance of confidentiality of personally identifiable
information about library users transcends individual
institutional and library type boundaries. Libraries should
carefully and regularly review interlibrary and interagency
cooperative agreements and should establish clear policies
and procedures that all members of a cooperative, or all
departments and branches within a parent institutions,
should be expected to honor°
12. DO libraries need an "acceptable use policy" for
electronic information access? If so, what elements should
be considered for inclusion?
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A special policy for electronic information access may not
be necessary if a library has adequate general service
policies based on the mission and objectives of the
institution. Reasonable restrictions placed on the time,
place, and manner of library access should be used only when
necessary to achieve substantial library objectives and
should be applied in the least restrictive manner possible.
In other words, libraries should focus on developing
policies that ensure broad access to information resources
of all kinds, citing as few restrictions as possible, rather
than developing more limited "acceptable use" policies that
seek to define limited ranges of what kinds of information
can be accessed by which patrons and in what manner.
13. Why shouldn't parental permission be required for minor
access to electronic information?
The Library Bill of Rights, its various Interpretations
(especially Free Access to Libraries for Minors; Access for
Children and Young People to Videotapes and Other Nonprint
Formats), and ALA's Guidelines for the Development and
Implementation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures
Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and
Facilities all endorse the rights of youth to have
unrestricted access to library resources and information.
Electronic information access is no different and minors
should not be restricted. Conversely, minors should not
need prior permission to use information in any format.
7of15
AS with any other format of information, parents are
responsible for determining what they do not wish their own
children to access electronically in a library setting. It
is their responsibility to indicate only what limits they
place on their own children's access, not to indicate or
provide permission for what their children do have
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permission to access. Libraries should not be in~'
position of enforcin9 parental restrictions or requiring
prior parental consent for youth to access information, no
matter in what the format. It is essential that libraries
be consistent in upholding this concept in regard to
electronic information access just as they do in regard to
unrestricted print resource access for youth.
14. Does our library have to make provisions for patrons
with disabilities to access electronic information?
Yes. The Americans With Disabilities 'Act and other federal
and state laws forbid providers of public services, whether
publicly or privately governed, from discriminating against
individuals with disabilities. All library information
services, including access to electronic information, should
be accessible to patrons regardless of disability.
Libraries should consider the needs of persons with
disabilities when they design and provide information access
services. Many methods are available to make electronic
information universally accessible, including adaptive
devices, software, and human assistance. Information on
these methods is available in a number of publications on
the topic.
EQUITY OF ACCESS
this a problem?
15. My library recognizes different classes of user
The mission and objectives of some libraries recognize
distinctions between classes of users. For example,
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academic libraries may consider students and faculty to be a
primary class of user and member~f the general public a
secondary class. Public libraries may distinguish between
residents and non-residents. School library media centers
may embrace curricular support as their primary mission;
some, however, have opened their collections to larger
community because they are publicly funded. Special
libraries vary considerably in their access policies,
depending on their definition of primary clientele.
Within the context of each library's unique mission and
objectives, ALA urges that librarians consider that serving
an ever broader community may be beneficial in achieving a
library's goals. Establishing different levels of users
should not automatically assume the need for different
levels of access.
16. Does the statement that "electronic information,
services, and networks provided directly or indirectly by
the library should be equally, readily and equitably
available to all library users" mean that exactly the same
service must be available to anyone who wants to use the
library?
NO. It means that all persons eligible for library service
according to the library's mission should have similar
opportunities to use electronic information services. It
also means that access to services should not be denied on
the basis of an arbitrary classification, for example, age
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or physical abilj_~'to use the equipment. This phrase,
.including "readily", was incorporated into Economic
Barriers to Information Access; an Interpretation of the
Library Bill of Rights to clarify that it is not consistent
with the principals of equality and equity to provide access
to electronic information only to library users who can
afford fees for service as long as printed information
sources are made available to those unable to pay.
17. Which is a higher priority-to offer more information or
to 'not charge fees? Does this mean my library cannot charge
fees?
The higher priority is fee free service. Chargin9 fees often
creates barriers to access. That is why ALA has urged
librarians, in Economic Barriers to Information Access, to
"resist the temptation to impose user fees to alleviate
financial pressures, at long term cost to institutional
integrity and public confidence in libraries."
Before making this difficult choice, library administrators
need to review their entire program in light of current
mission and objectives, and consider the possibility of
avoiding fees by redistributing money and personnel from
less important areas to those that need it most.
18. Does "provision of information services" include
printouts?
Whenever possible, all services should be without fees. Any
decision to charge a fee for service should be based on
whether the fee creates a barrier to access in the context
of the library's mission and goals. For example, some
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libraries have long provided fee-free access to print
~magazines, with photocopying offered at additional charge.
Translated to the electronic environment, this means that
some libraries will provide the text on the screen at no
extra charge, but might decide to charge for printing out
that information. Before a library imposes a fee, the
library should ensure that an alternative means of access to
the information is available.
19. If my library has no "major support from public funds"
can we then charge fees?
Yes, but we advocate, as a goal for achieving equitable
access, that all libraries scrutinize policies and
procedures relating to user charges and, as much as
possible, eradicate economic barriers
20. What do you do if one person monopolizes the equipment?
This is a policy issue to be established within each
library, according to its mission and goals. It is
permissible to impose limits as lonG as the policy is
applied equitably to all users. Restrictions on the time,
place, and manner of use of library resources have long been
a part of library practice, and this application is no
different.
INFORMATION RESOURCES AND ACCESS
21. How does providing connections to "global infor
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services, and networks" differ from selecting and purchasing
material for an individual library?
Selection begins with the institution's mission and
objectives. The librarian performs an initial selection
from available resources, and then the user makes a choice
from that collection. Many electronic resources, such as
CDs are acquired for the library's collection in this
traditional manner.
Once the library makes the decision to connect to the
dynamic resources represented on the Internet, it provides
access to, but does not acquire, those resources in the
traditional sense. Instead, it makes everything on the
Internet potentially available to the user, not just a
preselected portion. Choice, therefore, becomes a joint
effort of the librarian and user.
22. Should the library deny access to Constitutionally
protected speech on the Internet in order to protect its
users or reflect community values?
People have a right to receive Constitutionally protected
speech, and any restriction imposed by a library violates
the Library Bill of Rights
23. Does using software that filters or blocks access to
electronic information resources on the Internet violate
this policy"?
12 of 15
The filters currently available would place the library in a
position of restricting access to information that might be
objectionable to some users. As such, they represent
censorship, rather than selection . The library,s role is to
provide access to information from which individuals choose
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the material they find appropriate for themselves and their
families.
The use of filters implies a promise to the user to perform
the task perfectly. This task may be impossible given
current technology and the inability to define absolutely
the information to be blocked.
Technology is being developed that would allow individual
users of public terminals to exercise a choice to impose
restrictions on their own searches. When these types of
filters become available, libraries should carefully
scrutinize them in light of their mission and goals.
24. Do librarians have a responsibility to develop the
information literacy skills of users so they can evaluate
the information they find?
DJosolutely. In addition to sharing the "selection"
responsibility with users in the electronic environment,
librarians should expand the reference interview to include
teaching users effective search techniques and helping users
evaluate what they retrieve.
25. why do libraries have an obligation to provide
government information in electronic format?
The role of libraries is to provide ideas and information
across the spectrum of social and political thought and to
make these ideas and this information available to anyone
who needs or wants it. In a democracy libraries have a
particular obligation to provide library users with
information necessary for participation self-governance.
Because access to government information is rapidly shifting
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to electronic format only, libraries should plan to
continue to provide access to information in this format, as
well.
26. What electronic information resources should libraries
preserve?
The on-line electronic medium is ephemeral, and information
may disappear without efforts to save it. When libraries
create information, they have the responsibility to preserve
and archive it, if it meets the library's mission statement.
When libraries find information appropriate for selection
under their missions and policies, they should make
appropriate arrangements that comply with copyright and
contractual requirements.
For example, a library which actively collects in local
history may wish to preserve material produced by
individuals who may not share the library's mission to
provide access to the information on a more permanent basis.
Such preservations must, of course, respect that
individual's right to his or her intellectual property.
27. Does "must support access to information on all
subjects..." mean a library must provide material on all
subjects for all users, even if those users are not part of
the library's community of users or the material is not
appropriate for the library?
No. The institution's mission and objectives will drive
these decisions.
14 of 15
28. The Interpretation states that libraries should not
deny access to resources solely because they are perceived
to lack value. Does this mean the library must buy every
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piece of junk available?
No. The library's mission and objectives will drive
selection decisions, and providing access is not the same as
requiring material for the library's collection. Libraries
that wish to prohibit certain uses of electronic resources
should carefully scrutinize those restrictions in light of
their mission and goals. For example, libraries that make
providing popular material a primary goal and, therefore,
purchase books and periodicals that discuss electronic games
may be violating their own policies if they prohibit users
from playing electronic games on their computers.
29. How can the library avoid becoming a game room and
still provide access to this material?
Libraries sometimes seek to prohibit the playing of computer
games because the demand for terminals exceeds the supply.
The library may apply time, place or manner restrictions to
the use of electronic equipment and resources if those
restrictions are necessary to achieve the library's mission
and goals. Such restrictions should not be based on the
viewpoint expressed in the information being accessed or
make arbitrary distinctions between types or classes of
eligible library users (see Guidelines for the Development
and Implementation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures
Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and
Facilities). Rationing, for example, is a restriction
based on time, not content, and would not violate this
Interpretation.
elqa728
15 of 15 07/02/97 16:43:27
REPLACING
Item D3a
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 3, 1997
TO:
President and Members of the Library Board
Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager
FROM:
Deborah Kaye Clark, Library Manager
SUBJECT: INTERNET ACCESS POLICY
RECOMMENDATION:
Attached you will find an update of the proposed lnternet Access Policy. Staff proposes that you review
the accompanything documentation and open the subject for discussion.
Due to the fact that the new proposal was presented for the first time at this meeting, staff recommends
the Board delay the final decision until their'August meeting and limit themselves to full discussion and
taking the testimony of the public at the meeting this evening.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:
Based on a recent discussion with the City Attorney regarding the Supreme Court Decision that the
Internet is protected as a First Amendment right and based on the need to create a policy specifically
geared to address the concerns of the needs of youngsters, the following points are now recommended
for the Intemet policy:
1 ) Adults 18 and over will be logged into a non-filtered terminal unless they request filtering
themselves.
2) Youngsters 13 to 17 will be logged into a filtered terminal. Non filtered access will require a parent
permission slip. (Parent verification will be required by a phone call to the office or home.)
2) Children 12 years and under will only be allowed to access Internet when a parent accompanies them
to register for the service. This will allow us to verify the parents 1D on the spot.
The new proposal will stiffen the protection afforded to children but makes more in tune with the recent
Supreme Court decision Internet access for adults.
FISCAL IMPACT:
(mmediate fiscal impact beyond the initial cost of filtering software.
Respectfully submitted, /~"v/'~ _
Library Manager ~
Page 18
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
MEMORANDUM
REPLACING
Page 19
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
July 3, 1997
Deborah Clark, Library Manager
Robe~ Karatsu, Principal Librarian
Public Access Internet Policy
PUBLIC ACCESS INTERNET POLICY
PURPOSE
The profusion of useful information available over the Internet continues to grow and all
projections envision the Intemet as a major source for providing information content in the
future. The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library can better serve community informational
needs by providing access to the Intemet for our patrons.
The purpose of this policy is to outline guidelines for use of the Intemet when accessed through
services provided by the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library.
GUIDELINES
1).
2).
3).
Use of public access Internet is strictly on a first-come, first-serve bas~s. However, a
time limit will be programmed into each computer connected to the Internet.
This time limit will be posted at each computer.
Parents, and not the library, have the responsibility to supervise and guide the use of the
Intemet by their children.
The Intemet consists of resources outside of the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library.
Some material may not be completely accurate, complete or current. Some material may
be considered offensive. The Rancho Cucamonga Public has no control over the material
on the Internet other than'what it has directly posted via its own home page. The Rancho
Cucamonga Public Library cannot assure the validity of all information, nor can it protect
the public from offensive material. The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library cannot assure
access to all resources at any given time as they may be busy, available only to authorized
persons, or may no longer be available.
4).
REPLACING
Page 20
A "filtering" program will be installed on all public access Intemet terminals for use
under the following age guidelines:
a) Adults 18 and over will be logged into a non-filtered terminal unless they request filtering.
b) Youngsters 13 to 17 will be logged into a filtered terminal. A parent permission slip is
required to access unfiltered lnternet. Parents permission will be verified by staff.
c) Children 12 years and under will have access to the Ch'ldren's lnternet terminal. This
free use terminal is permanently locked into "Yahooligans". They will only be allowed to access
Intemet in the Technology Center only when and ifa parent accompanies them to register for the
service.
5).
6).
Library staffcannot provide detailed help or individual instruction on the use of the
Intemet or any Web Sites the patron may be using or interested in accessing.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library will provide access to the World Wide Web but
will not provide patrons with access to any other services including but not limited to:
e-mail, telnet, newsgroups, FTP (file transfer protocol), Archie, Gopher, Chat Rooms or
IRC.
7).
8).
10).
11).
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library is not liable for costs incurred through patron use
of fee-based services.
Downloading of any files may only be done to the a: drive.
Files may be printed from the Internet at a cost of 10 cents per page.
It is not appropriate to use Intemet privileges to interfere with or disrupt other users,
services or equipment. Disruptions included, but are not limited to, distribution of
unsolicited advertising, harassment, propagation of computer viruses, or use of the
network to make unauthorized entry to any other machine. Patrons will not use the
Internet for any illegal activity, or place any text, data, graphics, images, messages,
communications, files or other material related to any illegal activity on the Internet.
The Rancho Cucamonga Public Library may suspend or terminate Internet privileges if
the Library reasonably believes that any user has violated these policy guidelines. The
Rancho Cucamonga Public Library will review these matters on a case-by-case basis.
Item B2
STATISTICS JUN 97 JUN 96 FY 96~97 FY 95~96
Days Open 30 30 351 349
Items Borrowed 53,394 50,972 663.053 648,818
Average Daily 1.780 1,699 1,889 1,859
% Change 5% 2%
Patrons Registered 944 1,099 13,447 17,642
Average Daily 31 37 38 51
% Change -14% *24%
Information Questions 6,690 5,567 94,144 97,365
Average Oai~y 223 186 268 279
% Change 20% -t%
Itsms Classified 1,257 1,443 14,200 18,313
% Change -13% -22%
Volunteer Hours 419 483 3606 3700
% Change -13% -3%
Intsrlibrary Loan
Books Borrowed 7 4 71 58
ADULT SERVICES
Information Questions 4,525 3,445 56,612 52,140
Average Daily 151 115 161 149
% Change 31% 8%
Programs/Classes Attendance 55 25 167 148
# of Sessions 1 2 7 9
Aver. per session 55 13 24 16
Tours/Group Visits To the Library 0 16 111 193
Number of Tours 0 1 10 10
Aver. per session ERR 16 11 19
CHILDRENS SERVICES
Information Questions 2,165 2,122 37,532 39,810
Average Dai~y 72 71 107 114
% Change 2%
Preschool Storytime Attendance 467 400 4426 4872
# of Sessions 16 16 158 174
Aver. per session 29 25 28 28
Afterschool Storytime Attendance 140 0 1111 184
# of Sessions 4 0 42 5
Aver. per session 35 ERR 26 37
Special Events Program Attendance 0 143 433 1425
# of Sessions 0 2 9 20
Aver. per session ERR 72 48 71
Group Visits to Library 338 210 956 1554
# of Sessions 12 6 40 63
Aver. per session 28 35 24 25
School Visits by Staff 0 0 392 75
# of Visits 0 0 8 I
LITERACY SERVICES
JUN 97 JUN 96 FY 96~97 FY 95196
Learners Assessed 1 2 22 2
Leamem waiting for tutom 5 16 NA 16
Learners referred 0 0 1 0
Tutors Orientation Attendance
Tutor Training Workshop Attendance
3 NA 35 NA
6 11 59 11
Leamer/Tutom Matched 28 0
BALANCE SHEET
JULY THROUGH JUNE
FY 1996/97
Revenues
Fines & Fees
Media Rentals
Sales
APS
Information Services Fees
Misc. Revenues
Totals:
Part Time Salaries
Balance for
Year ~
Earned
Projected Loss/Gain
$101,163 $89,000 $12,163 13.7%
$56,320 $58,000 ($1,680) -2.9%
$356 $0 $356
$7,733 $4,800 $2,933 61.1%
$1,386 $1,000 $386 38.6%
$25,735 $0 $25,735
$192,692 $152,800 $39,892 26.1%
Spent
$207,695
Pr~ected ~Loss/Gain
$207,770 $75
$39,967
Projected End of the Year
Donations:
Telethon
Received Projected Over/Under
$52,000 $50,000 $2,000
$40,150
0 $40,150
2
REVENUE REPORT
JUNE 1997
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
June 5
June 6
June 7 & 8
June 9
June 10
June 11
June 12
June 13
June 14 & 15
June 16
June 17
June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21& 22
June 23
June 24
June 25
June 26
June 27
June 28 & 29
June 30
FINES
& FEES
$393.00
$468.79
$228.65
$399.22
$179.85
$445.17
$380.89
$354.55
$307.65
$216.50
$20.20
$142.25
$541.03
$439.15
$215.65
$323.29
$82.10
$405.6O
$380.29
$419.10
$382.49
$275.9O
$183.50
$365.70
$431.60
MEDIA
RENTALS
$187.74
$203.10
$218.86
$205.64
$115.07
$245.50
$141.81
$197.06
$167.14
$249.48
$139.94
$313.97
$229.53
$238.29
$262.72
$203.35
$154.28
$262.95
$227.00
$273.13
$267.56
$175.69
$145.09
$219.33
$207.53
LIBRARY REF
SALES SERV.
$0.00 $1.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $4.00
$0.00 $2.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $3.00
$0.00 $0.00
$o.oo $o.o0
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $3.95
$0.00 $0.00
$2.78 ' $2.00
$0.00 $0.00
$2.78 $0.00
$0.00 $0.00
$5.70 $2.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $2.00
$0.00 $2.00
$0.00 $0.00
$0.00 $7.00
$0.00 $0.00
DONA- TELETHON
TIONS . INCOME
$175.00
$0.50
$20.00
$0.15
$45.00
$0.35
$2.30
TOTALS:
MAY TOTALS
% CHANGE
TOTAL LIBRARY INCOME
Daily Average Fines
Daily Average Media
Daily Average Sales
Daily Average APS
Daily Average Ref. Fees
DALLY TOTALS
GAIN/LOSS ON PRO J:
PERSONNEL EXPENSES
Part time Salaries
GAIN/LOSS ON PRO J:
BALANCE
$7,982.12
$10,572.01
-24%
$13,517.39
$319.28
$210.07
$0.45
$25.29
$1.00
$556.09
$4,157
$17,536
($1,037)
$3,119.95
$5,251.76
$4,342.84
21%
$11.26 $28.95
$34.36 $81.05
-67% -64%
96/97 Pr~:
$253.91
$150.51
$0.00
$16.13
$1.43
$421.98
$16,498
$3.30 $240.00
$9.82 $734.00
-66%
3
LIBRARY EXPENDITURES JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
1996197
PERSONNEL
11O0 REGULAR SALARIES $381,590 $32,109 $29,078 $29,078 $43,764 $29,176
1200 OVERTIME SALARIES $1,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
1300 PART TIME SALARIES $219,900 $10,595 $14.014 $13,359 $23,735 $17,319
1~00 FRINGE BENEFITS $145,3OO $12,108 $12,108 $12,108 $12,108 $12,108
TOTAL PERSONNEL $747,790 $44,813 $55,261 $54,546 $79.607 $58,603
OPERATIONS
DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
$39,176 $29,176 $29.176 $29,176 $29.176 $31.722 $30,144
$0 $0 $0 $0 $224 $43 $43
$15,855 $15,000 $17,542 $18,304 $27,077 $17,358 $17.536
$12,108 $12,108 $12,108 $12,108 $12,108 $12,108 $12,108
$57,136 $36,264 $58,826 $59,688 $68,585 $61,231 $59,83t
TOTALS SPENT PER FUNDS % % OF
CATEGORY REMAINING SPENT YEAR
92%
$360,952 $360,952 $20~638 95%
$309 $309 $691 31%
$207,695 $207,695 $12,205 94%
$145,297 $145,297 $3 100%
3100 TRAVEL &MEETtNGS $3,146
Cal~fo~ia Libra~ Conference $2350
Corwin workshops
Keratsu-v~rkshops $162
Meeting Supplies ($184)
Clark-meetings $84 $58
ILS Wo~$hops $20 $10
Telethon Kickoff
CLA Legislative Day
Oatcia ($58) $27 522 $42
3900 MAINTENANCFJOPER $t53,5t0
Visa
Cash Receipts
(S99) ($60) ($97) (S50)
$14 $3 $14
$2,069 $103 $11 $2,752
$37
$667 $667 $754 $667
$194 $6
$14
$51
$12
$2,827
$14
$399
$239
$122
$120
$24
$7
$20
$629
$231 $231 $231 $231 $231 $231 $231
$32 $44 $115 $47 $53 $34
$19 $13 $66 $44
$110
$31
$32 $178 $958
$503 $32
$199 $758 $56 $870
$5
$6
$24
$194
$38 $93 $56
$7
S128 $3
$771
$18
$8
$293
$238 $30
$100 $62
$162
$15
$3,35O
$0
$162
($160)
$149
$5O
$3
$629
$2,885
$360
$177
S0
$0
$31
$110
($306)
$3,995
$709
$7,988
$61
$8
$0
$2,755
$394
$532
$454
$190
$336
$0
$29
$163
$3,180 ($34) 101%
$t27,057 $26,453 83%
$4,704 (S704) 118%
$3,073 $1,927 61%
ChlMren's Supplies $229 $50
Chi~dren*$ Programs - Friends
Grandparents with BCOk$
Software $35
Summer Rea~ing Program (FR) $48
Creatio~ of Affinity Card $250
3914 MAINTENANCE DEPT $11,830
Encumbrances
Janrioriel Supplies $4,260
3960 GENERAL LIABILITY $4,340
$527
$125
$362 $362
$150
$45
$919
$362
$2O
$15
$118
$169
$469
$19
$371
$44
$57
$394 $7,564
$500 $15,OO5
$9 $9 $39
$94
$4,885
$474
$40
$42
$35
$362
$31 $15
$100
$500
$261
$219
$10
$143 $1,149
$1,OO0
$113 $87 $70
$119 $129
$362 $362
$16
$43
$362 $362
$28
$3,773
$5O
$728
$25O
$290
$7,023
$10.067
$628
$65
$49
$109
$6
$111
$43
$362
$120
$289
$218
$54
$200
$200
$178
$18
$187
$522
$362
$6O5
$25
$718
$859
$1,204
$140
$99
$5O0
$3,919
$300
$238
$1,300
$362
$17
$49
$26
$750
$5O0
$362
$1,273
$200
$676
$35
$386
$25
$0
$469
$10
$48
$1,031
$3,773
$250
$344
$744
$3,429
$29,585
$42.257
$3,271
$36O
$2,OOO
$2,074
$147
$4.76~
$3,750
$0
$6,702
$0
$5,385
$3O0
$O
$0
$0
$0
$1,822
$248
$0
$0
$318
$150
$630
$919
$1,079
$6,150
$90,637
$9,167
$3OO
$0
$248
$0
$0
$2,017
$318
$150
$63O
$919
($1.079) ERR
$19,363 82% I
($492) 108%
$500 O%
($1,C00) 200%
$2,0OO 0%
$2,663 77%
$2,959 31%
$5.330 5%
$0
($48) 124%
$1.300 0%
$440 0%
$83 99%
$132 71%
$0 100%
($630) ERR
$581 61%
($4) 100%
6056 CONTRACT SERVICES $56,t70
Encumbrances $67,959
$7,330 $8,209 $15,53O
JanltOdalSe~ices $16,000 $1,333 $1,333 $I,333 $1,333 $1,333 $1,333 $1,333 $1.333 $1,333 $1.333 $1,333 $3,793 $18,457 $18,457
Security Sewice $3,360 $1,703 $378 $475 $80 $2,636 $2,636
Elevato~ Sen~ice $6,160 $0 $125 $250 $250 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $125 $1,625 $1,625
HVAC $14,$00 $1,246 $4,370 $8,221 $13,837 $13~837
Electrical $4,160 $631 $408 $171 $62 $310 $692 $200 $2,475 $2,475
7047 COMPUTER EQUIP.
$3.000 Fdends donation S3,000
$3,000 $3,000
80t9 TELEPHONE $15,000
989-8277 (Rotar/line) $407 $368 $365 $412 $434 $445 $398 $459 $504 $495 $458 $4,744 $13,893
181-1185 (T1 line) $214 $214 $432 $215 $215 $220 $226 $227 $216 $223 $2,401
049-9900 $441 $484 $481 $501 $456 $449 $432 $467 $487 $370 $440 $5,008
980-0871 (EMS & Security) $53 $52 $53 $53 $58 $58 $58 $60 $54 $56 $557
980-4361 (E~evato~) $26 $26 $26 $26 $26 $26 $26 $27 $27 $27 $262
987-3271 (Irfigaflofl Spdnk,) $26 $26 $26 $26 $26 $26 $26 $27 $27 $27 $262
989-6904 (Public Fax) $34 $33 $67 $34 $33 $33 $34 $28 $59 $29 $28 $412
MCI $20 $12 $3 $6 $23 $5 $69
Cred;t card line instalJa6o~
$178 $178
8021 WATER UTILITIES $4,000
Inside Use $189 $189 $201 $88 $193 $861
Landscaping $321 $249 $110 $203 $220 $1,103
$1,963
8022 ELECTRIC UTILITIES $50,000 $4,763 $4,227 $4,386 $3,747 $3.400 $2,659 52,639 $3,139 $3,155 $3,202 $3,430 $3O+767 $38,767
TOTAL LIBRARY IBUDGET $1,2t4,686 $92,922 $121,097 $81,981 $116,966 $81.721 $102,406 $75,955 $75,388 $99,444 $96,755 $107+677 $80.093 $1.132,405 $1,129,405
MURL$ FUNDS $t3,000
$3,624 $5,g61 $3,741 $13,326
GRANDPARENTS W. BOOK
Books
Resources
$5,000
$3,197
$229
$3.427
$t6,648 90%
($423) 112%
$2,878 86%
$8,337 92%
$85 97%
$152 95%
$5,619 82%
($11,788) t2~%I
($2,457) 115%
$724 78%
$4,535 26%
$663 95%
$1,685 59%
$1,263 37%
($863) ERR
($642) 132%
($87) 113%
{$203} 130%
$1,880 35%
$2,037 49%
$11,233 78%
$85,28t 93%
($326) 0%
$t.573 69%
LITERACY EXPENDITURES
1996/97
CITY VERSION
PERSONNEL
110o REGULAR SALARIES
1900 FRINGE BENEFITS
TOTAL PERSONNEL
OPERATIONS
JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
TOTALS SPENTPERFUNDS % ~% OF
CATEGORYREMAININ SPENT YEAR
$22,200 $1,195 $1,594 $1,594 $2,717 $1,675 $1,675 $1,675 $1,675 $1,675 $1,675 $2,513 $1,675 $21,338 $21,338 $862 96%
$8,214 $685 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $671 $8,066 $8,066 $149 98%
$30,414 $1,880 $2,265 $2,265 $3,388 $2,346 $2,346 $2,346 $2,346 $2,346 $2,346 $3,184 $2,346 $29,404 $29,404 $t,010 97%
3100 TRAVEL & MEETINGS $1,130 $50 $19 $43 $33 $27 $310 $2 $350 $313 $1,146 $1,146 ($16) 101%
3800 MILEAGE $675 $67 $72 $132 $60 $98 $115 $75 $48 $668 $668 $7 99%
3900 MAINTENANCE/OPER $7,620 $7,439 $t8t 98%
Printing/Postage $2.520 $2,525 ($5) 100%
Pdnting $1,223 $935 $2,159
Postage $352 $15 $367
Office Supplies $2,700 $518 $48 $300 $10 $35 $533 $986 $2,431 $2,43t $269 90%
InstructionalMaterials $2,400 $70 $1,021 ($37) $38 $1,335 $57 $2,483 $2,483 ($83) 103%
5910 LIBRARY OVERHEAD
$7,670 $7,670 $7,670 $7,670 $0 100%
$52,678 ($3,403) 107%
$3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $3,452 $6,904 S48,328 $48,328 ($3,403) 108%
$4,250 $4,250 $4,250 $0 100%
6028 CONTRACT SERVICES $49,175
Literacy Coordinator $44,925 $6,904
Tufl3r Training $4,250
100%
8019 TELEPHONE $400 $85 $138 $223 $223 $177 56%
TOTAL LI'rERACY BUDGET $97,084 $16,641 $5,717 $11,526 $8,178 $5,974 $5,886 $7,428 $5,909 $6,223 $6,051 $8,928 $t0,668 $99,129 $99,129 ($2,045) 102%
EDUCATION ACT $3,500
$2,071 $1,611 $3,682 {$t82)
REDEVELOPMENT EXPENDITURES
FY 1996197
Materials
Books
Standing Order for Ref.
Rental Books
Books on Tape
New database
Kwik cases
JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
$50,000
$684 $493 $3.049 $5,119 $2,843
$11,210
$759
$10,667
Sub Total
Plans/Designs
Literacy remodel/shelving
Sub Total
$10.000
JAN
$337 ($2,906) $339
$1,021 ($2,906) $12,042 $3,049 $5.119 $14,269 $0
Furnishingslmisc,
Study Can'ell
~deo Drop (replacement)
Picture Framing
Citizen Printer for self/check
Recorder * Admin
Multi Pro CTV
Admin, cabinets
PS Racks
Counter
Library cards
Rental bock display
Tech Center
Shelving Childrens
Shelving Adult (Estimate)
Tech Center Counters
Receipt Printer
Telxon
Telec~rc scanner
Chairs
Fax Machine
$40,000
$0 Debited to Ubrary building account
$974
$172
$386
$739
$706 $706
Debited to Library Building Account
Debited to Library Building Accounl
$52
$269
$1,454
$611
Sub Total
$7O9
Added for Computer Upgrade $20,000
TOTALS
$1,240
FEB
$321
MAR
$436
$321 $436
$322
$252
$881
$2,597,
$846
APR
$57,358
$701 $16.720 $30,367
$0
$1%210
$759
$1,500 $12,167
$903 $903
$0
$0
$4,182 $4,182
($2,229)
$2,201 $4.182 $17,623 $57.358
$1.128
MAY JUN
$2,154 $0 $0 $2,238 $321 $2,065 $1.240 $574 $4,324 $1,128
TOTALS FUNDS % % OF
SPENT REMAINING SPENT YEAR
83%
($7.358) 115%
$0 $10,000 0%
$0
$26.598 $13,402 66%
$120,000 $3,175 ($2,906) $12,042 $5,287 $5,440 $16,334 $1,240
$457
$5,854
$1,814
$8.125
$2.500
$1,930
$4,430 $26,598
$0
$20,000
$895 $4,750 $3,329 $12,307 $22,054 $63,957 $36.043 70%