Regina library says there are no plans to block access to porn on Internet

REGINA – The Regina Public Library is not going to control what you have access to on the internet, and that includes pornography.

Darryl Lucke of the Regina Public Library board said they don’t block or filter pornography from their computers.

Lucke said one of the reasons is that it can be hard to define what pornography is.

He said he doesn’t think people want the library to get into the business of censorship.

He also noted that the library already stocks hard-cover versions of books such as “Fifty Shades of Grey” and he said “certainly anything in there is probably as bad as anything you’d ever see online.”

The library’s exact policy on using the computer is that it has to be in a responsible manner, respect the rights of other users and not engage in any activity that’s harassing or defamatory.

If there’s a problem with what’s being viewed, Lucke said the person can be offered a privacy screen, they can be asked to come back later, and if the problem persists, then the computer session can be stopped.

“But terminating someone’s right to information is a very, very last resort,” he said. “Either we are open or we’re not open. And in Regina, we’ve chosen to provide people with unlimited access to any information they want, whether we like it or not.”

(CJME)