Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to:
- Ensure compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in order to safeguard Internet access for children within member libraries.
- Fulfill the eligibility requirements for participation in the federal E-Rate program, which provides discounts for internet connectivity and services.
Compliance
It is the policy of the OWWL Library System (the System) to implement measures, to the extent possible/practical, to filter, prevent, or otherwise protect against the following content or activities:
- Images that are obscene, child pornography, and/or harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors);
- Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
- The safety of minors when accessing electronic mail, chat rooms, or other forms of direct electronic communications;
- Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
- Unauthorized disclosure, use, and/or dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
- Restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.
Supervision and Monitoring
To accomplish filtering of the content outlined in CIPA, the System uses Meraki Firewalls at each library and manages them at the System Office.
Beyond this filtering technology, it shall be the responsibility of member library staff to supervise and monitor usage of the online computer network and access to the Internet in accordance with this policy and the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
Reference
Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Federal Trade Commission (FCC) – https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
Last Updated by the OWWL Library System Board of Trustees on August 14, 2024