I agree with your post #7:
Does the city/county have any authority over the library? How is the library board of directors chosen? You will have a better chance going after politicians than you will library board. So hit the politicians who have control over library funding and/or staffing.
I've also said that my experience with one popular brand of filtering software shows that it's not a perfect solution. It doesn't filter out everything objectionable, and it does block nice conservative sites such as FR.
When I was a child, and when my children were younger, there were "child" and "adult" library cards. Children weren't allowed to check out the same types of books as adults were.
In the long run, however, the public library is not a babysitting service. Parents shouldn't be leaving children there unattended. If you're worried about your kids accessing porn at the public library, don't let them go there without you, and keep an eye on them while they are there.
You really get what you pay for. The cheap software just looks for key words, and if they are found block the site. There are many alternative solutions that offer better results.
When I was a child, and when my children were younger, there were "child" and "adult" library cards. Children weren't allowed to check out the same types of books as adults were.
Which is exactly what is being advocated here. Different levels of access for different people. Shoot, even kids can get complete access if their parents OK it.
In the long run, however, the public library is not a babysitting service. Parents shouldn't be leaving children there unattended. If you're worried about your kids accessing porn at the public library, don't let them go there without you, and keep an eye on them while they are there.
Agreed, but public libraries funded by the parents should take some simple precautions to help. I have yet to see a propelling arguement why kids should be freely allowed to view porn in libraries. There isn't one. It should be reasonable to assume a public library is a safe place for kids. But most aren't.