I actually use OpenDNS at home, not for filtering, but for speed. I didn’t know about the web filtering possibility. A great suggestion.

Filters will never be perfect, but I think some libraries might ultimately be doing themselves a long-term disservice with an uber-staunch stance anti-filtering stance. I don’t think you’re ever going to convince your community that people have a 1st amendment right to look at porn in the library, as Louise Blalock seems to be saying in Hartford.

I’m looking forward to having you on the call.

Re: filtering, someone on the show mentioned OpenSource options. This isn’t exactly OpenSource, but it is free and a very effective filter (for porn, anyway): http://www.opendns.com . We use it as a secondary filter for our network and the primary filter for our public wireless. See: http://chipk.com/2007/06/21/free-filtering-via-opendns/

Also, much of the discussion about filtering sounded like people were stuck in 1999. Filters don’t see “breast” and block breast cancer sites any longer, do they? Now, I’m not saying filters are perfect…

Anyway, great podcast and thanks again.

Chip Kruthoffer
c.kruthoffer@lanepl.org
Lane Public Library (Hamilton, OH)

Boy, talk about your small-time crooks. Hardly seems worth the energy. Some people…

With regard to embezzlement, a number of years ago I worked for a very short time with a general manager (not a librarian) who was putting out duplicate notices asking staff for payment on personal expenses…that is, small $2 and $3 charges that you would forget whether you paid and so went back and paid again a couple weeks later. He managed to grab a few thousand dollars that way but was quickly closed down after someone clued in to what was happening. I expect it was probably a lot more work and eventual embarrassment than it was worth on his part.

Cheers!
Connie