Public access internet services

Survey of internet access in public libraries, 2002 report

Contents

Executive summary

Further information and references

Appendixes

• ALIA statement on online content regulation
• Comments by participating library services
• Policies on access to internet terminals by children - case studies
• Survey of internet access in public libraries - questionnaire

1. Introduction

The Australian Library and Information Association's (ALIA) first object is 'to promote the free flow of information and ideas in the interests of all Australians and a thriving culture, economy and democracy'. The Association has been active in the public debate surrounding regulation of the internet in Australia. This report of a survey of internet access in Australian public libraries is a contribution to that debate. The survey, conducted in late-2002, provides data on the experiences of Australian public library services in providing public access to the internet. It gives insights into how people are using the internet and the ways in which libraries are providing community education and are promoting and assisting responsible and effective access to online content.

The survey was developed by ALIA's online content and regulation reference group.

2. Regulation of internet content in Australia

Legislation to regulate internet content in Australia came into force on 1 January 2000. The Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Act 1999 (BSA 1999) provides for the regulation of internet service providers and internet content hosts through industry codes of practice and a complaints mechanism administered by the Australian Broadcasting Authority. BSA 1999 also provides for non legislative community education measures.

In 2002 the Commonwealth Government announced a review to be conducted by its Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts of the effective operation of BSA 1999. The Department released an issues paper as the basis for public consultation for the review.

The ALIA submission to the review is based on the Association's policy position relating to internet content regulation as expressed in its Statement on Online Content Regulation adopted by the ALIA Board of Directors in August 2002 (Appendix 1).

In addition to its policy-based submission, ALIA believed that it was important to provide data to the review on the experiences of libraries in providing public access to the internet and on the impact on libraries of the regulatory scheme and community education measures that BSA 1999 introduced.

At the time of writing this survey report, the review of online content regulation had not yet reported.

2.1 The wider context

Australian libraries and information services are active providers of access to the internet. In June 2000 there were 2832 internet workstations in local government libraries, an increase of 242 per cent since June 1997. The numbers of workstations and online services have continued to grow and Australia now has extensive public internet access networks in its public libraries. Internet connectivity in public libraries has benefited from Federal government initiatives such as 'Networking the Nation' and state government programs. Libraries have become key players in addressing the need for equitable community access to online services. They have become a location for internet training, a resource for electronic access and providers of valuable online content.

The picture of community demand for online services, the ways in which libraries are delivering online resources and services and recommendations for enhancing and improving these services can be found in the submissions from ALIA and many other organisations and individual libraries to the current Senate Inquiry into the Role of Libraries in the Online Environment.

A study by Monash University's Centre for Community Networking Research of public-access internet users in Victorian public libraries confirms that internet access services in public libraries are meeting the public policy goals of helping to drive technology take-up in the community and of providing a safety net for those with barriers to acquiring home access to computers and the internet. The study also provides evidence that demand will continue to grow. Among its major findings are that public libraries play a role in bringing new users to the internet and that people use internet access services in public libraries in the main because they are the only source of access or because they provide free or low-cost access. The study shows that public library internet access services are utilised for a wide range of informational, career, communication, social, recreational, educational and creative purposes. E-mail was found to be the most common service used, but there was also a great diversity of other online activities including online banking, academic and job research, personal interests and hobbies.

3. Survey of internet access in public libraries

To obtain data about public library services relevant to the review of online content regulation outlined above, the ALIA online content and regulation reference group decided to survey public libraries, covering such areas as Internet-use policies, training of users and library staff, complaints from users about internet content, internet filters and children's use of the internet in libraries. The intention was that the survey would provide hard evidence of the ways in which Australia's public libraries have responded to the challenges of providing public internet access services and are assisting and promoting responsible use of the internet.

A preliminary report of this survey was forwarded as a supplementary submission to the BSA 1999 review in December 2002.

4.Survey methodology

A survey questionnaire was developed by the ALIA online content and regulation reference group.

Pilot survey

The direction and the questions to be asked were first tested with a pilot survey in 2001 when 49 delegates attending the ALIA Public Library National Conference, Melbourne, 12-16 November 2001 completed a brief questionnaire. The pilot survey revealed that all 49 libraries completing the survey had an internet-use policy and that forty-two (86 per cent) included user-behaviour policies in their internet-use policy. Forty-six (94 per cent) libraries publicised their Internet-use policies through staff, signs near terminals, brochures or through their website. Forty-seven (96 per cent) libraries operated a booking system for internet access and forty-five (92 per cent) imposed time restrictions on internet use. These time limits ranged from 15-minute express bookings to two hours per day limit. A one-hour per day limit was the most common.

Forty (82 per cent) provided internet classes for parents, children and others. In the majority of cases (twenty-six, or 65 per cent), classes were free. Forty-seven (96 per cent) libraries provided internet training for staff.

Twenty-two (45 per cent) had received complaints from users about internet content. Most complaints had concerned content that was sexually-explicit (20 of the 22 reported complaints concerning sexually-explicit content). Ten libraries reported complaints concerning children.

Seven (14 per cent) libraries used filtering software.

Five (10 per cent) libraries had separate terminals for children and twenty-two (45 per cent) had websites for children and young adults that linked to material especially recommended for them.

The final questionnaire was modified to take account of the responses to the pilot and to address matters raised in the issues paper for the Commonwealth Government's review of BSA 1999. The questionnaire covered: internet-use policy, community education and training, complaints, filters, access by children and monitoring of public internet use.

Respondents were also asked to provide general information about their library service, including in which state/territory it was located and whether it was in a metropolitan or a regional/rural area, the number of branches and access points to the library service, the number of registered users, the number of public-access internet terminals and the average number of users accessing the internet each week.

The respondents were asked to comment on the nature and type of positive and negative feedback received from users about internet access in their library service and were invited to comment generally on internet access in libraries.

The questionnaire was sent in early November 2002 to the 134 public library services that were institutional members of ALIA. They included local government libraries in all states and territories, all state and territory libraries and the National Library of Australia.

Due to time constraints the survey was confined to the public library sector.

5. Survey results

Ninety-one responses were received (a response rate of 68 per cent). Responses were received from all states and territories and the breakdown is shown in Table 1.

Forty-six (51 per cent) responses were from library services located in metropolitan areas; forty-four (48 per cent) responses were from library services in rural areas and one was from a state-wide library service, covering both metropolitan and rural areas. All state/territory libraries and the National Library of Australia responded to the survey.

The ninety-one library services participating in the survey had a total of 445 branches and other access points and almost 2000 public-access internet terminals. They had over four million registered users.

The size of the participating library services varied widely, from large library services covering a whole state or city with multiple branches and access points and more than 100 000 registered users and up to 200 public-access internet terminals to small, single-site libraries with less than 2000 registered users and one or two public-access internet terminals. Respondents included at least one joint-use community library (school and public).

Given the geographic coverage and mix of library services covered by the survey respondents, we are confident that it is representative of the national public library sector. According to the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of public libraries, Australia has 505 local government library organisations with 1510 library locations and eight national and state library organisations with 26 locations.

5.1 Internet access services

To gauge the level of use of internet services, the survey asked respondents to nominate on average how many users accessed the internet each week in their library.

Not all participating library services were able to provide a precise figure. From the responses it is clear that libraries measure usage of internet services in a number of different ways, for example by the number of users, number of bookings or hours of use. Some participating library services were unable to answer the question and some provided an estimate based on the number of internet terminals and the number of hours that the service was available each week.

However, from the responses it was possible to estimate that over 50 000 people used internet access services each week in these libraries.

Although the survey did not ask for details about the types of online services that were offered many respondents provided details about their internet services as part of other answers. The nature and type of internet access services provided by participating library services varied. In some participating library services, e-mail and chat were the main internet services used. In other libraries these services were blocked and services focused on information searching and use of online databases. Some participating library services provided free access, others imposed fees. For example, some participants provided access to e-mail and chat services through fee-based internet kiosks and to information searching and subscription databases through free terminals.

In the comments section of the questionnaire respondents commented on the nature of their internet service and their assessment of its role in their user community. Forty-nine respondents provided comments. The comments were able to be grouped under broad headings of: services provided, response by users, service issues and challenges, online content and filtering. The comments, reproduced in full in Appendix 2, build a picture of internet access services that are popular and in heavy demand and have become a core library service. The main service challenges are seen to be providing the technology and information resources to meet demand, keeping up-to-date with technological developments and having in place the service policies to provide for responsible and appropriate use of public internet access facilities.

5.2 Internet-use policies

The survey asked whether library services had an internet-use policy and if so, whether this included user-behaviour policies. Library services were also asked whether they imposed time restrictions on internet use and had booking systems. They were asked how their Internet-use policies were publicised, whether the community had been consulted in the development of the policy and at what level the policy had been endorsed.

Ninety of the ninety-one participating library services had a formal internet-use policy. The sole exception was a small rural library with only one internet access terminal and it reported not having a written policy. This library explained that it is adjacent to a fee-based public internet centre sponsored by the local government Council and that its internet service is used mainly for information searching closely supervised by library staff.

In eighty-one (89 per cent) cases, internet-use policies included user-behaviour policies.

Eighty-six participating library services (95 per cent) imposed time restrictions on internet use and eighty-five (93 per cent) operated booking systems for internet access. The most common booking period was one hour per day (fifty-five, or 60 per cent of respondents). Some libraries offered 15- or 30-minute sessions and others offered booking periods of up to two hours.

Eighty-eight (97 per cent) participating library services publicised their internet policy. Most used more than one form of publicity. The breakdown of ways in which this was done is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: How are internet policies publicised?

Table 2 shows that the most common form of publicity, used by 79 per cent of respondents, was signs near terminals. Publicity directly by library staff and through brochures and library service websites were also widely used. Seventy-three participating library services (80 per cent) used two or more forms of publicity and fifty-three (58 per cent) used three or more ways to publicise their internet policy.

'Other' included:

• Internet terminal booking slips or signs at booking desks;
• Library membership registration form;
• Media publicity, newspaper articles, radio;
• Opening screen on personal computers where users must press 'accept' to proceed;
• Library brochure for users under 18 years of age.

In eleven cases (12 per cent) the community had been consulted when the internet-use policy was being developed. Consultation methods included:

• Use of suggestion boxes;
• Library liaison or library advisory committees;
• User survey;
• Consultation with a small number of individual users.

Most commonly, the internet-use policy had been endorsed by library management (fifty-six, or 62 per cent of respondents). In twenty-five cases (27 per cent) the policy had been endorsed by the local government Council and in twenty-two cases (24 per cent) by local government management. In some cases policies had been developed at a state level such as in South Australia by the Chief Librarians Association of South Australia (CLASA) or had been approved by a Library Board or Library Committee. Some respondents indicated that they consulted the policies of other libraries or guidelines from their state library when developing their own policy.

5.3 Community education and training

This section of the survey covered the user education programs and/or services that were offered to support internet services in the library, whether participating library services provided internet training programs specifically for children and/or parents and whether internet training was free. Respondents were asked whether they provided internet training for staff. They were also asked about their awareness and use of the Commonwealth Government's NetAlert education initiative.

Only three of the ninety-one participating library services indicated that they did not provide any user education programs or user support for internet services in their library.

Table 3: Community education and training

Table 3 shows that 82 per cent of participating library services provided internet training courses and many provided other forms of community education such as guides to searching, subject guides, one-to-one assistance and access to online tutorials and help.

Other forms of community education included public-access internet personal computers having links to online learning sites and quality internet resources, provision of internet handbooks and directories and partnerships with community-based information technology learning organisations such as South Australia's Networks for you.

Thirty participating library services (33 per cent) offered internet training programs specifically for children and/or parents.

Fifty-three (58 per cent) provided free internet training. Some libraries offered both free and fee-based training.

Eighty-one (89 per cent) provided internet training for staff.

5.4 NetAlert

One of the Commonwealth Government's main internet education initiatives is NetAlert, established in 1999 as an independent body with the object of encouraging and promoting safe use of the internet by all Australians, particularly young people and their families. NetAlert has undertaken a range of educational and promotional activities under the online content co-regulatory scheme that BSA 1999 introduced, including development of a website, a telephone helpline, an e-mail advisory service and an information kit.

The government's review of BSA 1999 sought comments on community education under the co-regulatory scheme. It specifically sought comments on the role and activities of NetAlert with regard to community education. ALIA's survey therefore aimed to ascertain the extent of public libraries' awareness and use of NetAlert.

Twenty-seven participating library services (30 per cent) indicated that they were aware of NetAlert. However, only seven (8 per cent) reported actively using NetAlert. Uses include:

• promoting NetAlert in brochures, at Internet for Parents classes, through Skills.net internet training courses, on e-library display board and via a Seniors Online Club;
• Links to NetAlert from the home page on each personal computer;
• Staff referring to NetAlert for advice to parents;
• As a source of information on filtering software.

5.5 Complaints about internet content

The survey asked whether the library service had received any complaints about internet content and if so, how many complaints had been received in the past twelve months. The questions covered the issues of material that was sexually-explicit, violent or racist and whether any complaints had concerned access by children. Respondents were also asked whether, to their knowledge, any complaints about internet content had been referred by their library users to the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) through the complaints mechanism established by BSA 1999.

Table 4 shows that 45 per cent of participating library services had not received complaints about internet content. Of the fifty participating library services (55 per cent) that reported having received complaints about internet content, nine per cent had received from six to ten complaints in the past twelve months and two per cent had received more than ten complaints in the past twelve months. Given the high volume of use of internet access services (as outlined in Section 5.1, this has been estimated at 50 000 users per week across the ninety-one participating library services), the level of complaints about internet content was low.

Overwhelmingly the complaints concerned material that was sexually-explicit. Forty-six participating library services (51 per cent) had received complaints about sexually-explicit content, two had received complaints about violent content and two had received complaints about racist content.

Other areas of complaint concerned gambling sites or advertising, use of chat rooms by children and junk e-mail. Several respondents commented that complaints had been about the behaviour of other library users, for example accessing what were seen to be inappropriate or offensive sites, rather than content as such.

Twenty-eight participating library services (31 per cent) reported having received complaints about access by children to inappropriate content.

One library reported that a library user had referred a complaint about internet content to ABA.

Complaints about internet content - selected comments by participating library services:

'We have had very few problems with people accessing inappropriate material - our terminals are very-publicly located. The internet has made the library far more fashionable.'

'Main concern is exposure to other library clients in the vicinity of the terminals, particularly children and the elderly, to offensive or explicit websites accessed by users, despite attempts by staff to ensure that all content accessed is appropriate.'

'Complaints are about inappropriate use by individual customers not actually about content as such.'

'Less that ten library patrons over a number of years have been asked to stop displaying offensive (mainly sexually-explicit) material on library personal computers. No patron has complained about another's inappropriate behaviour.'

'Some negative comments about children being noisy using it or accessing inappropriate sites.'

'The compliant we had was a customer bringing to our attention what a user was accessing.'

'We have received only four official complaints that have been acted on.'

'Has become a basic info source and carrier for subscription databases. Problems for libraries include copyright infringement/questions and client misuse. Also some sites spawn problematic material which can cause technical difficulties.'

'Clients who use a terminal after someone who has been looking at pornography sometimes complain that they cannot get rid of it and fear they will be seen to be responsible for the porn sites. Occasionally a client will complain about someone else looking at porn.'

5.6 Filtering software

Participating library services were asked whether they used filtering software and if so the type used, whether there were unfiltered terminals for adults and whether any complaints about the use of filters had been received.

Sixteen participating library services (18 per cent) reported using filters. They were using a range of products including: software developed in-house, Squid Guard, Smart Filter, Cyber Sitter, Cyber Snoop, Surf Control, Novell Border Manager, Fortress, Norton Security, Webspy, and Microsoft ISA server products.

Filtering software was used in some cases to block e-mail and chat services. Four of the sixteen libraries using filters provided unfiltered terminals for adults.

Six of the sixteen libraries using filters had received complaints about their use. Complaints concerned filtering of e-mail services and filters sometimes blocking incorrect sites.

Filtering - selected comments by participating library services:

'The main reason for introducing filtering is to minimise Council's exposure to claims from public/staff that they have been unnecessarily exposed to offensive material. It may be overly-cautious but it's seen as a risk management issue in a family/community service environment, not a censorship issue.'

'Requests for filtering have not developed into demands after explanation of why we don't.'

'This should be a free, uncensored service available through our public libraries. In small communities it can be an invaluable source of information and for communication.'

'We wish to see our public-access internet service remain free and unfiltered. We have had very few problems regarding internet content. Users are generally happy with our internet service.'

'We have explored the option of filtering content, but the software is very expensive to implement. Anything cheaper doesn't work well enough.'

'No filters until they work properly. Parents should be responsible for their children.'

'Unrestricted internet access is vital to public libraries. Our policies have worked very effectively without the need to use filters which frequently prohibit access to legitimate information.'

5.7 Children and internet access services

The survey asked whether the library service had separate terminals for children and websites for children and young adults with links to material especially recommended for them. It asked whether parental consent was required for children to use the internet and whether parents were required to be present with children using the internet.

Almost half the participating library services (forty-three, or 47 per cent) provided websites for children and young adults that linked to material specially recommended for them. Fifteen participating library services (16 per cent) provided separate terminals for children.

Parental consent: Sixty-six (72 per cent) required parental consent for children to use the internet and twenty-five (26 per cent) required a parent to be present with children using the internet.

Table 6: Parents required to be present with children using the internet

Table 5 shows that of the 72 per cent of respondents requiring parental consent for children to use internet terminals, 37 per cent required parental consent for children up to 18 years; 13 per cent required parental consent for children up to 16 years and 5 per cent required parental consent for children up to 15 years. A small number of participating library services - three per cent or less in each case - required parental consent for children up to 17, 14, 12 and 10 years of age respectively. Nine per cent of respondents stated that parental consent was required for children to use internet terminals, but did not specify up to what age.

Table 6: Parents required to be present with children using the internet

Table 6 shows that of the 26 per cent of participating library services that required a parent to be present with children using the internet, 13 per cent required a parent be present with children up to 12 years of age or to the end of primary school years. Three per cent or less, in each case, required a parent to be present with children up to 18, 17, 15, 10 and 9 years of age using internet terminal. Three per cent of participating library services indicated that they required a parent to be present with children using the internet, but did not specify the age limit for children. Included with the 74 per cent of respondents that did not require a parent to be present is one case where the respondent stated that it encouraged parent to be present with their children using internet terminals but did not enforce this and another case where the library service policy allowed for a parents to nominate if they wished to be present with their children up to 18 years of age using internet terminals.

Prompted by the wide variety in responses to this part of the questionnaire, nine respondents were followed up by telephone. They were asked about the background to and reasons for their policies concerning parental consent and parents accompanying children using the internet. These case studies illustrate the range of policy responses by libraries to providing and managing access to the internet by children.

Case studies
In three cases parental consent was required for children up to 18 years of age to use public-access internet terminals and parents were not required to be present with children using the internet. In all these cases the policy was based on 18 years of age as the legal adult age and the age up to which parental consent was required to join the library. In these library services policies on internet access were in line with policies on children's access to other library services such as borrowing. These library services did not use filtering software.

In the case where parental consent was required for children up to 18 years of age and parents were required to be present with children up to 12 years of age, the library service operated a separate 'discovery centre' for children only with internet terminal and websites for them. The terminals were used only by the children, but they had a parent by their side. This was monitored by staff.

In one case parental consent was required for children up to 16 years of age, which was the age at which children no longer needed parental permission for a library card. For children up to 10 years of age, the policy was for parents to make a booking for them to use the internet and to be present. Filtering software was used to block pornographic sites.

In the case where parental consent was required for children up to 14 years of age and parents were required to be present with children up to 8 years of age, the policy had been developed based on library staff's knowledge of their users. The library service had not experienced any problems with inappropriate use by children and, because most internet users were older, had not found it necessary to enforce the policy strictly.

In one case parental consent was required and parents were required to be present with children up to 12 years of age. The policy was based on feedback from parents and on experiences of other library services. The library service used filtering software to block e-mail and chat services and pornographic sites.

One library service had a loose policy requiring parental consent for children up to 10 years of age and requiring parents to be present with children up to 8 years of age. In the library's experience, children under 10 years of age usually visited the library accompanied by their parents.

One of the case studies had not felt the need to introduce requirements for parental consent for children to use the internet. This library service operates a separate children's library with internet access terminal and websites for children and where staff of the children's library knew their users well.

In the main, library policies on children's access to internet terminals had been developed based on the professional judgement of library staff and their knowledge of their use community. In some cases the policies of other library services and state-wide guidelines had been consulted. At least one library service used legal advice that the legal adult age that applies to BSA 1999 is 18 years to decide that parental consent should be required for children up to 18 years of age.

5.8 Monitoring of internet use

Participating library services were asked if they monitored internet use and if so what data was collected and how was it used.

Forty-two (46 per cent) indicated that they monitored internet use. From the responses it was not possible to determine clearly what type of monitoring was done in all cases, however, in some cases technical monitoring was used. In others responses indicated that monitoring was informal, random or through visual observation by staff. Sixteen (18 per cent) indicated that they collected data on the sites accessed by users. None collected data specifically on sites accessed by children.

Data collected was used for a range of purposes including:

• statistical, to determine usage and resources needed and to fulfil reporting requirements to Council and funding bodies;
• setting filters to block undesirable sites, reviewing categories to be blocked, checking if filter was working;
• monitoring staff use for adherence to Council policy;
• identifying inappropriate use and breaches of internet-use policy, checking that unsuitable sites were not being accessed; and
• planning for development of library services and information technology infrastructure.

5.9 What library users think of internet access services

The survey asked library staff to comment on the nature and type of feedback (both positive and negative) they had received from users about internet access in the library.

Positive feedback
Fifty-four participating library services provided comments on positive feedback that they had received. Many of these nominated more than one area of positive comment. Comments were able to be summarised under general headings as shown in Table 7.

In summary, the existence and availability of public-access internet services, having free access and the support provided by library staff were most-frequently cited as the areas where library services received positive feedback from their users.

Positive feedback from users - selected comments:

'Like the fact that access is free and recommended internet sites are provided. Also quality assured internal websites are available.'

'Almost all positive! This is a very heavily used facility! Computers are rarely empty.'

'Good feedback re free access. Number of terminals a positive for our community.'

'We have only had positive feedback since introducing the internet.'

'Helpfulness of staff, accessibility, cost.'

'Most users are very happy that free internet access is available in our small country town.'

'Clients especially like the training course.'

'Happy it's free. Great for children researching school projects etc.'

'Very well-used facility. People appreciate it being free. Free internet classes always booked out.'

Negative feedback
Sixty-four respondents provided comments on the negative feedback that they had received. Many nominated more than one area of negative comment. The negative feedback was able to be summarised under a number of headings as shown in Table 8.

Table 8 shows that majority of negative comments by users related to perceived technical and communications infrastructure shortcomings and the limited capacity of services to meet demand. Participating libraries had received few negative comments about sexually-explicit or pornographic sites, about sites being blocked by filtering software or, conversely, about internet access being unfiltered.

Negative feedback from users - selected comments:

'More public accessible internet terminals. Complaints about other users and their use of particular sites. Speed of personal computers and browser version'

'Complaints about slowness, about aspects of technical security, about other customers accessing pornography'

'Most comments regarding the internet are concerned with the connection speed rather than content, in other words, connection is too slow'

'Filters limit access to games and chat and also sometimes there are difficulties accessing e-mail'

'Some negative comments about children being noisy using it or accessing inappropriate sites'

'Not private enough, e-mail charges too expensive'

'Have problems when computers are slow due to limitations of software and hardware - being addressed by Council'

'The only complaints are about response times, or misunderstanding processes and access'

6. Discussion - summary of findings

The survey has shown that well publicised Internet-use policies are the norm for public libraries. Most intent use policies include user-behaviour policies.

The demand for public internet access services is heavy and more than ninety per cent of participating library services use booking systems and time restrictions to manage demand.

Relatively few participating library services (just over 12 per cent) had consulted their communities when developing their Internet-use policies. There is scope for greater sharing of experiences among libraries and for libraries to consult more-widely in their communities in the development of their Internet-use policies.

The survey supports the conclusion that community education is important component of public library internet access services. Public libraries are providing access to an extensive range of training programs and other community education in use of the internet. However, awareness and use of NetAlert - the Commonwealth Government's internet education initiative - by public libraries is low.

There are challenges in managing public internet access services and the behaviour of users, but it appears that overwhelmingly, these are able to be dealt with satisfactorily through the internet-use policies of public library services. Given the large number of users and heavy demand for public internet access services in libraries shown by the survey, the number of complaints that library services have received about internet content is low.

Most libraries are providing unfiltered access to the internet. It appears that libraries have not experienced a high level of demand from the community for their internet access services to be filtered. ALIA does not advocate the use of filtering technologies. The Association supports fundamental right of all individuals to access to information and believes that filtering software is limited in its effectiveness. ALIA's position and an overview of recent studies of the effectiveness of filtering technologies are covered in more detail in the Guidelines.

Public libraries are significant centres for internet access for children. Many library services have responded by providing recommended websites and links, training programs for children and/or parents and some have set up separate terminals especially for children. Policies on parental consent and whether parents are required to be present with children using the internet vary widely. It appears that, in the main, library services have developed their policies based on their individual circumstances and their knowledge of their user community.

The findings of the Victorian public libraries internet users research bears out the responses by users reported by library staff in this study. Both studies have found that public-access internet services are highly-valued and particularly the availability of free or low-cost service and that staff assistance is well-appreciated. However, there are significant areas of dissatisfaction about connection and computer speeds and about not having enough computers to meet demand.

From the low level of complaints about internet content and the infrequency of libraries receiving negative feedback about pornographic sites or about having unfiltered access to the internet, it appears that offensive internet content is not a major concern for users of public internet access services in libraries. This is also backed up by the Victorian study where offensive internet content did not figure as an area of complaint or concern by users.

Because of limitations of the question on monitoring of internet use, it is difficult to draw conclusions from the responses. Because the question did not define 'monitoring' it was open to interpretation. However, less than half of the respondent indicated that they monitored internet use and some of these used some form of technical monitoring.

7. Conclusions and recommendations

The survey of internet access in public libraries demonstrates that libraries have developed use policies and service practices to manage access so that using the internet is a positive and rewarding experience for the great majority of users, including children. The key components of a high-quality and responsible internet access service are:

• well-publicised internet-use policies and internal complaints procedures that are able to deal effectively with inappropriate use;
• provision of training and skilled assistance in information searching and using online resources;
• good technical infrastructure, high-speed connectivity, adequate numbers of internet access terminals and maintaining currency of hardware and software.

Internet content regulation

It can also be concluded that the current regulatory scheme is meeting the underlying objectives of the legislation of providing a means for addressing complaints about internet content, of restricting access to internet content that is likely to offend reasonable adults and of protecting children from content that is unsuitable for them. This is supported by the findings of the survey that there is not a high level of community concern or complaint from users of public library internet access services about offensive of illegal internet content.

However, the survey found that while public libraries are important centres for community education about the internet, they have a relatively low level of awareness and use of NetAlert, one the major government internet education initiatives under BSA 1999.

Based on the findings of the survey, ALIA has recommended to the current review of online content regulation that:

Issues for the library and information sector

The survey has highlighted the range of policies and practices among public libraries, for example in community education and in managing internet access by children. It has also highlighted the variations in measuring internet use. In the quest to improve services and to establish best practices these issues are worthy of further discussion and debate among libraries.

Given the growing extent and significance of these services and their role in wider social and government policy objectives of addressing the 'digital divide' in the Australian community, there would be a benefit in standardising a measure of use of internet access services in public libraries.

To facilitate implementation of recommendations 3, 4 and 5, ALIA will incorporate the findings of the survey into its lobbying and advocacy for public library services and in support of freedom of access to information. The findings will also be used to update its guidelines for members on internet content regulation. ALIA will publicise the findings of the survey and will seek comments and suggestions from members.

Further information and references

For more information about the survey please contact Susan Magnay, ALIA National Office susan.magnay@alia.org.au ph 02 6215 8225.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. Public libraries 1999-2000. 2001

Australian Library and Information Association. Statement on online content regulation The statement sets out ALIA's policy on online content regulation and includes links to other relevant ALIA and IFLA policies.

Bailey-Hainer, BK. 2002. Libraries and internet access: a review of state legislation. Colorado Libraries, Vol 28 (3), p.22-6

Effectiveness of internet filtering software products, 2001. Report by CSIRO for NetAlert and the Australian Broadcasting Authority

Hardy, Gary and Johanson, Graeme. Characteristics and choices of public-access internet users in Victorian public libraries. Centre for Community Networking Research, School of Information Management and Systems, Monash University, 2003

NetAlert

Review of the operation of Schedule 5 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 - issues paper and submissions to the review - follow the 'consultation' link

Richardson, CR., Resnick, PJ., Hansen, DL., Derry, HA., Rideout, VJ., 2002. Does pornography-blocking software block access to health information on the Internet? JAMA, Vol 288(2), p. 2887-94

Senate Inquiry into the Role of Libraries in the Online Environment

Appendix 1

Australian Library and Information Association Statement on online content regulation.

Appendix 2

Comments by participating library services

The survey asked 'What other comments do you have about internet access in libraries?' Forty-nine respondents provided comments. The comments have been grouped under broad headings: services provided, response by users, service issues and challenges, online content and filtering. (The comments of one of the respondents was illegible and therefore has not been included.)

Services provided

• The library provides charged-for internet kiosks for e-mail and chat.
• With so much information available over the internet, internet access in libraries provides access to valuable information, much of it freely available. Users do alert staff if other library users are accessing offensive/pornographic material on the web.
• Training sessions supplied by public library users group and volunteers. Staff will provide individual training by arrangement.
• Has become a basic info source and carrier for subscription databases. Problems for libraries include copyright infringement/questions and client misuse. Also some sites spawn problematic material which can cause technical difficulties.
• There is one internet-protocol address for all internet access so the public are affected by restrictions in place for the (illegible).
• Internet browsing is free. Printing is 55¢ per page. No booking fee.
• Simply can't do without it - e-mail, research, recreation, information technology development.
• (Conditions of use policy, conditions of membership brochure and library statistics included with survey return.)
• It is an excellent information resource which complements and supplements our print resources. Our staff find it is a valuable tool for locating information for customers.
• We have had very few problems with people accessing in appropriate material - our terminals are very-publicly located. The internet has made the library far more fashionable
• We have one public-access internet terminal. We are next door to an Internet Centre sponsored by the Council and which has to at least partially fund itself. Hence we do not promote our Internet service and (shock, horror) charge at the same rate that the Centre does, except for reference use done under close supervision.
• Not very much feedback at all. We have policies governing use and written procedures re referring complaints to Australian Broadcasting Authority.
• Internet access is valuable source of reference information. A sizeable proportion of public internet usage seems to be e-mail use.
• In our case up to ninety per cent of internet usage is for e-mail.
• We are a school/community library and have computer internet facilities for both groups of users, eg. school-managed: 10, community-library-managed: 3

Response by users

• Demand exceeds supply.
• There is an increasing demand for free, fast access to full services including remote access from home to databases etcetera. Infrastructure and technology costs difficult for public libraries to support. Also demand for training of users. Expectation of free training. People are not concerned about inappropriate material.
• We cannot meet all of the demands for internet access. We need more terminals and a bigger library to put them in. There has been a big increase in clients requiring access to government information which puts a lot of pressure on our service. More state/federal support for public libraries required to provide more access points for the public.
• Very popular. E-mail and chat are the main use. New computers are required on a regular basis to keep up with technological changes.
• (The public is) surprised that the internet is available in the library. Surprised that there is no cost.
• People are generally very happy.

Service challenges and issues

• Internet access in libraries is imperative to ensure equitable access to quality resources for all Australians and as a democratic principle. For us the main issue is the information and communications technology infrastructure to ensure equity of access. The response time is very poor in rural areas and sometimes marginal in urban area.
• Access should be free of charge
• It is assumed that libraries will provide public access to the internet.
• Observation suggests that public library internet terminals are supporting access to personal taxation/banking/education etcetera. information and transactions as well as supporting access to more traditional sources of information. The provision of e-mail addresses to all school and techincal and further education students in New South Wales will also increase demand. Public libraries are providing access to some services which are only available online, for example, cheap airfares.
• Essential part of our information services. Free access for web browsing is regarded as an integral part of our service, which includes both print and electronic resources.
• This should be a free, uncensored service available through our public libraries. In small communities it can be an invaluable source of information and for communication.
• It has been a huge burden on staff time for what is often not a core library activity. Of course it is also brilliant for up-to-date information and research.
• In rural areas especially with high levels of aged populations, unemployed or low-income families, internet access is minimal. Internet provision and education is therefore important in libraries to encourage access to the net to encourage information and technological literacy.
• Because of the area we live in (low socio-economic), home access of the internet is lower than state average. There would be increased use if we were able to provide additional internet access. However, as with most public libraries, space and money are the problems.
• It should be made illegal to charge for internet access.
• We wish to see our public-access internet service remain free and unfiltered. We have had very few problems regarding internet content. Users are generally happy with our internet service.
• Main concern is exposure to other library clients in the vicinity of the terminals, particularly children and the elderly, to offensive or explicit websites accessed by users, despite attempts by staff to ensure that all content accessed is appropriate.
• It is important for public libraries to keep abreast of information technology developments, for example, provide fast access with ability for large downloads for the purposes of social justice.
• (Library's submission to Senate Inquiry into the Role of Libraries in the Online Environment attached to survey return.)
• It has become ubiquitous - it will be good when there are enough personal computers in every library.
• We are investigating timing out process for internet use as we have problems with clients staying longer than they should. We are considering dedicated chat lines; some users are very keen on this.
• Internet access should be free through public libraries. To achieve this we need federal government support and funding.
• Should be free in all public libraries. The internet is an important source of information. In order to ensure equity of access to information there should be free access.
• We have just discontinued service for three weeks while we change to ADSL and the public have been very distressed. It should be free, it should be strongly supported by state and federal government and it should be fast and reliable.
• The library profession views itself as information providers and has calmly and effectively adopted internet access, as it has adopted a range of developing technologies over time. Internet access at no charge is important if libraries are to maintain service levels. Doubtless there will be future technological developments which will likewise be rapidly taken up.
• Would like to offer more specific training to our clients.
• Users often require/request technical support that library staff are unable to provide, eg. site specific (illegible) and services. Users can become aggressive and want to 'hog' certain terminals and session times Online content
• Less that ten library patrons over a number of years have been asked to stop displaying offensive (mainly sexually-explicit) material on library personal computers. No patron has complained about another's inappropriate behaviour
• The compliant we had was a customer bringing to our attention what a user was accessing
• Valuable resources for staff and public. Unfiltered access should continue. Staff and parents concerned about children accessing offensive materials on the internet. Filtering
• The main reason for introducing filtering is to minimise Council's exposure to claims from public/staff that they have been unnecessarily exposed to offensive material. It may be overly-cautious but it's seen as a risk management issue in a family/community service environment, not a censorship issue
• Requests for filtering have not developed into demands after explanation of why we don't
• We have explored the option of filtering content, but the software is very expensive to implement. Anything cheaper doesn't work well enough
• No filters until they work properly. Parents should be responsible for their children
• Unrestricted internet access is vital to public libraries. Our policies have worked very effectively without the need to use filters which frequently prohibit access to legitimate information

Appendix 3

Policies on access to internet terminals by children

Case studies

Nine survey participants with varied responses to the questions concerning whether parental consent was required for children to use public-access internet terminal and whether the library required a parent or guardian to be present with children using internet terminal were contacted by telephone. They were asked about the background to and reasons for their policies concerning parental consent and parents accompanying children using the internet. Their responses are summarised in the case studies below.

Case study 1
Parental consent is required for children up to 18 years of age. Parents are not required to be present with children using the internet. Under the state government legislation under which the library operates children under 18 years of age must have a guarantor for use of all library services; internet access is covered under this blanket consent. As part of the registration process, customers agree to abide by all library regulations. The philosophy is that internet access is just another library resource and that parents are responsible for what children read and use. Filtering software blocks the use of chat and e-mail services on specific personal computers, but websites are not filtered. The library service does not have separate terminals for children. It provides websites for children and young adults.

Case study 2
Parental consent is required for children up to 18 years of age. Parents are not required to be present with children using the internet. Consent from a parent or guardian is required for children up to 18 years of age, the legal age of adulthood, to join the library. In addition to the membership card there is a special form for using the internet. Children must have the form with them and staff ask to see it. It is up to parents to decide if they wish to be present when their children are using the internet. Internet access is unfiltered. The library doe not have separate terminals for children and does not have websites for children and young adults.

Case study 3
Parental consent is required for children up to 18 years of age. Parents are not required to be present with children using the internet. The policy is based on legal advice obtained through the Chief Librarians Association of South Australia, that BSA 1999 defines a minor as someone under 18 years of age and states that parents are responsible for their childrens' use of the internet. The policy is in line with policies for childrens' use of other library resources and services, for example, borrowing. Internet access is unfiltered. The library has separate terminals for children in some branches. It does not (yet) have websites for children and young adults.

Case study 4
Parental consent is required for children up to 18 years of age. Parents are required to be present with children up to 12 years of age. The consent form for using the internet is part of normal library registration. The library has a separate 'Discovery Centre' with internet terminals for children only. To use the Discovery Centre, children must have a parent by their side. This is monitored by staff. The policy was developed using the NSW Metropolitan Public Library Association's guidelines and by consulting other library models. Internet access is unfiltered. The library has separate terminals for children and has websites for children and young adults (Discovery Centre).

Case study 5
Parental consent is required for children up to 16 years of age. Parents are required to be present with children up to 10 years of age. The age at which parental consent is required is linked to the age at which children no longer need parental permission for a library card. For children aged 10 to 16, permission to use the internet terminals is incorporated into the children's joining card. This ensures that parents are informed. For children under 10 years of age, a parent makes the booking for internet use. Ten years of age was chosen in a somewhat arbitrary way, based on the experience and judgement of library staff. The policy operates smoothly. There have been no problems. Internet access (mainly pornographic sites) is filtered. The library does not have separate terminals for children and does not have websites for children and young adults.

Case study 6
Parental consent is required for children up to 14 years of age. Parents are required to be present with children up to 8 years of age, but this is not enforced. The policy was developed by staff based on their knowledge of library users and their judgement of what seemed reasonable, but it is not really enforced. It is not linked to borrowing policies for children. Most internet users are older. The library doesn't have issues with inappropriate use by children. The respondent commented on a lack of guidelines for children's services: for example, there is no standard for dealing with children left unsupervised in the library. Internet access is unfiltered. The library does not have separate terminals for children and does not have websites for children and young adults.

Case study 7
Parental consent is required for children up to 12 years of age. Parents are required to be present with children up to 12 years of age. The policy is based on feedback from parents and also on the experience of other libraries. Filters are used to block e-mail, chat and pornography. The library does not have separate terminals for children and does not have websites for children and young adults.

Case study 8
Parental consent required is for children up to 10 years of age. Parents are required to be present with children up to 8 years of age. This is a loose policy. They talked to staff at other libraries in developing the policy, but it was a somewhat arbitrary decision. Usually, children aged 10 and under visit the library accompanied by their parents. Children cannot sign for their own library card until they are 18 years of age. Internet access is unfiltered. The library does not have separate terminals for children. It does not have websites for children and young adults, but advertises recommended sites, for example through leaflets.

Case study 9
Parental consent is not required for children to use the internet. Parents are not required to be present with children using the internet. The library has not felt the need to introduce requirements for parental consent. To date there has been no push from users and no complaints by parents. They don't get many young people using the internet; most tend to use software on compact disc. The policy may be reviewed in the future. There is some filtering of websites, through the Council's information technology system. The library has separate terminals for children and provides websites for children and young adults. The staff in the children's library know their clients well.

Appendix 4

Survey of internet access in public libraries

The Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Act 1999 is due for review before January 2003. ALIA is preparing a submission for the review and would appreciate input from practicing librarians. To assist us in this vital area, would you please complete the questionnaire below and return it as indicated by 18 November 2002. Figures need only be approximate if exact figures are not available.

Please send your completed survey form by 18 November 2002 by mail or fax to:
Online content and regulation reference group
Australian Library and Information Association
PO Box 6335 Kingston 2604
fx 02 6282 2249