Delaware Governor Signs Stronger CIPA Into Law
RSSBy SLJ Staff
The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a lot stronger in Delaware. Governor Jack Markell has signed into law a revision of CIPA, which extends the law's reach to wireless access in the public library.
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From left: State Librarian Anne Norman, Rep. John C. Atkins, Governor Jack Markell Photo: House of Rep/Nancy Hickman |
"The changes we've made to the Children's Internet Protection Act make it clear for the first time that even if it's on a personal laptop, public library network policies on acceptable use still apply," said Markell in his weekly message to the public.
Signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 2000, CIPA is one of a number of bills that the United States Congress proposed to limit children's exposure to pornography and explicit content online--and it requires that schools and public libraries use Internet filters in order to receive federal funding.
Markell explained that technology has changed how we interact with information at the library. "While there is a new world of information that's available to kids, not allof that world is appropriate for their age," he said, explaining the reason why he felt the need to keep CIPA current with advances in technology "Internet access at the library is no longer limited to the desk top computers. Wireless access in most public libraries means people are bringing their laptops, Netbooks, smartphones, and other technologies with them. But some are some are abusing that privilege, using that public wireless access for inappropriate content or activity."
The law also clarifies how important parents and guardians are to children's proper Internet use in the library. House Bill 340, sponsored by Representative John Atkins and Senator Robert Venables, reaffirms that in order for a child to obtain a library card, a parent or guardian must accompany them and tell the library whether that child should have full Internet access with acceptable use policies, no Internet access outside the library catalog, or partial Internet access, which would be defined by each parent and each library.
"When a child types in his or her library card number the library computer he or she is using will give them the access their parents determines what's best for them," Markell said. "While broadband and wireless access replace older technologies, one thing that hasn't changed is that we continue to have a duty to ensure responsible use of technology in our libraries."
A recent study by the Institute of Museum and Library Services reports that over the past year, 45 percent of the 169 million visitors to public libraries connected to the Internet using a library computer or wireless network during their visit. Many of these people have Internet access at home, but choose to use library networks for a variety of reasons, the report adds.
