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December 27, 2007
computer and internet safety information
Has your library taught a class or put up posters or pathfinders on safe online activity? If not, please consider it. The argument about whether or not librarians should be gatekeepers of information online is an old one, but the principles tie in to whether or not we should, by extension, be the ones who tell people "how they should act" when online. People have shown that they are willing to give up a good measure of privacy in order to gain features and functionality - and that's their right. Personally, I think we walk a fine line with our communities between over-bearing parent and chummy schoolmate.
In any case, if you're looking for a good example of a library doing education for the public about safe online behavior, check out Computer Safety (doc) by Vesna Gronosky.
Related to this subject is this document that I created in several iterations over time for different libraries: Security and Privacy on Your Computer and Online (doc). It's geared toward staff, but can apply to anyone, really. The text covers online behavior as well as software and hardware set-ups and gives people a checklist of things to think about, as well as resources to tap (and a nice "security" glossary at the end).
found via the LibraryLaw Blog
December 27, 2007 | Permalink
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Comments
Very good point EC. Thank you for sharing those titles with us. Online safety and privacy goes WAY beyond MySpace, though, and that's a good thing to point out to everyone. There are hundreds of social networking sites and MySpace is quickly falling off the radar of many online users--just in time for all of the books on MySpace to be published. "The online" moves fast. And even beyond that, we're not just talking about responsible online behavior; we're talking about avoiding phishing, trojan horses, and the like.
Posted by: Sarah Houghton-Jan (LiB) | December28, 2007
These look very good, but we often don't remember all the different handouts we have. (Now that I think about it, maybe it would be a good idea add them to the catalog, or put them up on our website for easier access.)
Anyway, I wanted to say Don't Forget Books. We've added some titles to our collection such as MySpace Safety: 51 tips for teens and parents, and Generation MySpace: helping your teen survive online adolescence. None of us on staff have the expertise to answer all the questions a concerned parent might have, so it's good to have these on hand.
Posted by: EC | December28, 2007
