FutureLibrary

Great Firewall of Trust June 14, 2009

Trust is an important factor in life. You trust the drivers on the road will stop at red lights, that the restaurant cook will not poison your food. If you end up being on the wrong end of these scenarios, there are penalties which are dished out to the perpetrators.

With this in mind, let’s set our sights to internet filtering. Should an organisation block certain sites and applications from it’s staff?  Many I.T. departments will say yes because of the bandwidth issue. However, much information is no longer displayed in PDFs or word documents these days. Video is fast becoming a more attractive and efficient method of relaying information.  Staff also need to continue to develop their skills and stay informed of trends in Libraries and Information Technology, much of which may be blocked. If people abuse the system then penalise THEM, not the entire organisation. For instance, do not allow them internet access for a week . That will soon bring them into line.

Trust should also play a part in public access internet. Is it right that Libraries govern what it’s customers can see or not? I think not. In many cases, appropriate sites are blocked, due to filtering software. It should be the responsibility of the Library to monitor internet activity and warn customers when inappropriate sites are viewed. However, I must admit the bandwidth problem arises with the use of video streaming. This actually is an issue in Australia as our internet speeds are pathetically slow compared to the rest of the world. Organisations must be committed to a program of line upgrades.

How does this relate to building better libraries? The following is a starting point:

• internet lines need to be upgraded wherever possible
• a level of trust needs to be developed between staff, customers and I.T Departments
• the Library should act as a gateway to information, not a firewall
• a realisation that certain actions will result in certain penalties