Freedom and Filters: Can We Have Both?

CIPA legislation has made the use of filters in schools nearly mandatory. How does a school effectively use a filtering program, how do you determine if your filter is working properly, and how do you set policies on what should or should not be filtered? This presentation examines how filters work, if they are effective, how to prevent over-blocking, and additional efforts districts must undertake to make sure students are working safely on the Internet.

Links to Doug's published stuff:

Article: Maintaining Intellectual Freedom in a Filtered World , Leading & Learning, May 2005

Article: Best Practices for Meeting CIPA Requirement s, EdTech Magazine Q4 2005.

Article: Good Policy for Good Policies , School Library Journal, March 2003

Chapter: Ethics in use of technology from Ethics in School Librarianship: A Reader edited by Carol Simpson Linworth, 2003

Column: Advisory Advice, Head for the Edge, LMC, October 1997

Other links:

ALA's Intellectual Freedom Q&A

ALA's Intellectual Freedom for Young People

ALA Library Code of Ethics

"We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources."

Creating and Connecting - Research and Guidelines on Online Social - and Educational - Networking. National School Board Association, 2008.

ISTE Membership Ethics

"[we] Adhere to and teach the concepts and laws related to intellectual property, intellectual freedom, privacy, confidentiality, a diversity of viewpoints, safety, and appropriate use especially as related to technology."

Intellectual Freedom 101, Knowledge Quest, Nov/Dec 2007

Filtering Facts blog

Access Denied: How Internet Filtering Harms Public School Education, RIACUL

Schools Should Be teaching Kids How to Use the Internet Well: but outdated filters make that mission quite difficult. Atlantic, February 14, 2014.

Workshop handouts: Intellectual Freedom and Filters: Can We Have Both?