A note from a reader who — and we’re just guessing here — isn’t all that fond of the Lakewood Library’s director. The director of the Lakewood Public Libary, snooty control freak Kenneth Warren, who has come under criticism for doing a poor job lately, has done it again. He recently ordered his staff in the computer room in the Madison Avenue library branch (the main Lakewood Public library computer room was closed in June until January or later due to his bumblng) to spy on people who use any of the approximately 30 internet computers at the Madison Avenue library, by the staff seeing on their own staff computers what the public in the computer room are looking at on their computers.
So now library staff in the computer room, from their staff desk computers, can see the text of any private, personal email a person there is writing, or their private information if they are paying a bill on-line on the computer, or if they are emailing a newspaper a criticism of the library director, etc…
That sneaky surveillance violates our U.S. Constitutional right of privacy that the U.S. Supreme Court declared Americans have (in the Roe versus Wade abortion ruling of years ago) . Ask the ACLU. That is the same police-state mentality he displayed by having a Lakewood police officer, carrying a gun, stationed in both libraries, to shoot people. Why else do they carry guns? Any goofy kid, nut or joker or drunk might grab the cop’s gun and start shooting people in the library. There should be no guns in libraries. Plus, Lakewood needs all its police oin the streets due to increased street crime that then police are overwhelmed with.
Angry, smug, weird dwarf Warren’s feeble excuse for this illegal secret spying (which library users are not aware of) is to enforce his arrogant, kill-joy rule against playing computer games. He should editorialize against his nutty policies and inefficiencies and wasting of taxpayers’ money in his bogus, self-serving, self-promoting, power-seeking newspaper he controls, the Lakewood Observer.
Jason Malone Lakewood
This article appears in Sep 19-25, 2007.
That article was overkill, and full of emotional hype and exageration. There is absolutely nothing “illegal”. Not liking a policy does not make it “illegal”. I am guessing the article’s author is a teen. My teenagers have that same mentality.
If you aren’t ashamed of the sites that you visit on the internet, you wouldn’t care. Nonetheless, you ignore some basic facts. (1) Those computers are not your personal property to do as you wish. You are borrowing them from everyone else who paid for the computers. If you don’t like it, you have the right to buy your own computer. If you are so concerned about imaginary “privacy rights”, get your own internet and computer, and don’t leech off the free ones at the library.
Overall, the article’s screeching was entertaining.
Actually, this is a very grey area when it comes to legality.
I would like the writer of this article to make a post on the Lakewood Observer’s Observation Deck. Obviously, without the name calling. But a good discussion on this topic, perhaps including Ken Warren, would be interesting to read.
As far as going out and buying their own computers, many people who use the library computers can’t afford their own. Whether or not this is a student doesn’t matter, either they, or their parent’s pay taxes to put those computers there for public use. And the right to privacy is a large portion in the ethics of the library.
American Library Association’s Bill of Rights
It’s not a “grey area”, it’s black and white. When one borrows something, they are allowed to use what they are getting for free. They have no “rights” except those invented on the fly by those with agendas. It’s only grey to those who look for an excuse to do whatever suits their fancy. It it’s “illegal” there would be a clear law saying so.
On a personal level, I would be offended at a thankless person telling me they did not appreciate the free thing I was lending them. When one is given something, they should be gracious in receiving it, even computer use at a library.
Being “poor” doesn’t mean anything either, since when is the internet and computers a necessity of life? The “poor” has to load their Ipods from somewhere. They don’t “have” to use the library’s computers.
It’s another issue, but since when does the “poor” pay any taxes? They pay next to nothing, and take money from those who are better off. (welfare)
Being a teen or student does matter, most are not emotionally mature in thinking things through. They have to grow up. That takes place with more responibilites and age. If one wants an example of this type of immaturity, check out the “student and the taser” news story from recent news.
The American Library Association has no legal binding on any library, or any legislative power over anyone. They are just another liberal agenda driven lobbying group that pretends “authority”, when they legally have no authority. That’s fact.
As for the article’s author, I guess that he has his own computer and internet, so he’s just whining about a nonissue that affects no one, no one really cares about it. That is how it should be. There are better things to get riled over. There are those people that just aren’t happy unless some controversy is happening.
Ever think that the library patrons are just thankful for the services of the library, knowing that it is a privelege? (not some invented “right”)
There are several things wrong in your thinking. The rights granted to people are a very grey area. That’s how laws are formed and society functions. It takes debate in order to conclude with a fair evaluation of how to best serve the public with law.
The need for computers is growing rapidly when you have online applications for jobs, research for work and school, as well as personal correspondence and other uses. The Federal Government is working to move toward having tax forms entered electronically. There are already many states the require electronic tax forms to be submitted.
There is a digital divide that separates the information rich and the information poor. Libraries have the ability to bridge that gap by offering computers to use, and programs to help patrons learn needed technical skills.
The following is quoted from an ALA article that can be found here
You can read more about the digital divide and the libraries role in an article called “The Digital Divide or the Digital Connection” on First Monday.
As far as the ALA having no legal binding on any library you are correct. But, it is a professionally recognized institution that provides a code of ethics. Ethics are those things that help guide people into fair decisions. You know, like Christian ethics. So I hope you will agree with me that having a set of ethics is a good thing.
“Today, most businesses and organizations use the Internet as a primary method of finding and interacting with job applicants,†said Alice Snell, vice president of Taleo Research. “But I frequently hear from retailers concerned that potential applicants may not be able to apply for jobs online because they lack Internet access.â€
My company has computer kiosks for this purpose (job application) and I have seen that some retailers have them too. Computers are a real convenience and a timesaver over painstakingly typing a master resume, and then having a printer professionally make some more. I know how to do it “the old way” being a 1986 college graduate.
I am just debating the idea that nice things everyone else has is a “right”, whether health care, food, water, etc. I haven’t seen any protesting for “free food and water rights”, yet.
We get stuff by earning it by working. When one has incentive, willingness, and perseverence, they can get what they want without demanding it in the form of an invented “right”. Of course, these “rights” are generally paid for by someone else. That for me, makes it not a right, when the demand is made for someone else to pay for it. In free speech, for example, one can talk a viewpoint. There is no “right to be heard” found in the Constitution, though. No one “has” to hear the one utilizing free speech.
Bedtime now, have a good night.
The whole basis behind the idea of a public library is that the public has the right to information, the facilities, and services provided by those entities. If we truly follow your theory we should abolish all public libraries. Then everyone would have to work or pay for the information they are looking for.
Since the public library believes people have the right to information, it needs to serve the patrons interest. Part of that interest is an individuals privacy.
After reviewing a good handful of internet policies from public libraries nation wide, I found most do not mention monitoring internet use. Several state that they do not, and only two that I found state that they do.
While there is no law against monitoring library internet use, it is still an ethical question. Doing so and not informing patrons of the library leads to people’s mistrust of the library in question. No where in the LPL’s internet policy does it state that they monitor the use of their computers. While I personally do not agree with this action, I would strongly suggest that the LPL update its internet policy and inform its patrons of that update.
The previous anonymous post was made by me, I had forgotten to enter my name.
I don’t think they have a right to read emails, however they have every right to glance at what kind of sites the people are using, but reading private emails is too far.
If the Lakewood Public library is in fact doing this, it would make for very poor public relations. There are some things to keep in mind mentioned in the above article. One thing is if you are making a transaction online, the connection that transmits your credit card data is usually encrypted with a https connection. This would prevent someone who is watching data on a network from being able to view a credit card number or other log-in information made with a https connection. Check and see if your favorite webmail service offers their services with a https address.
If the Lakewood Public Library is watching traffic on their network when they think someone may be violating their usage policy in order to find out who is doing it so they can enforce their policy I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.
Maybe they watch traffic when the “internet” is slower than normal to find out if a computer is infected with a virus and find out someone is doing something that is against policy and is hogging all the bandwidth. By enforcing their policy it may make everybody elses internet experience better.
As for the police with guns …. There are a lot of places that hire off duty police for security purposes. This is often referred to as “special duty” assignments. I have gone into numerous grocery stores and have seen police with guns performing security duty. I personally as a patron would feel better knowing that if some wack-job showed up with a gun in the library and started shooting because they couldn’t play their favorite online game on the library’s computers, at least someone would be able to shoot back!
Many public libraries moniter your internet usage. The ones near where I live do not always inform you that they will be doing so. If you use a public computer, you are always at risk of someone watching you. There are all kinds of nut cases out there that will take advantage of you. Yes, some do work in libraries. These folks also hang out in any place where they can get under your skin. So be aware, but don’t be surprised and indignant when you are watched. It is our culture now. If you don’t want to be watched, you are out of luck.
The June 18, 2008 (Cleveland) Plain Dealer front page news story about this clearly states that the American Library Association opposes such spying by public libraries on the taxpayers who fund it and use the internet computers there, and states that Lakewood Public library Director Kenneth Warren therefore resigned the Lakewood Public library from that American library Association, so he could more freely spy on the taxpayers’ internet computer use there. See the story at cleveland.com.
In that PD news story Warren arrogantly is quoted saying if the public does not want to be spied on by his staff that way when using library public internet computers, then the public should buy their own computers! really arrogant. Yet the public (taxpayers) pay his huge salary and pay for the library and the computers. He acts like a dictator, accountable to nobody. Who elected him?
For once the Plain Dealer reported some imporant local news fairly accurately.
NWO. It’s that simple.
I am not from Ohio and yet would like comment on this issue. Public libraries financed through the tax system are open to all citizens whether they pay taxes or not. Every citizen of this country has rights guaranteed under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This Library has no right to illegally spy on its patrons. If this is actually occurring or even suspected of happening the residents of that locale should consult the Attorney General of your state. It is especially offensive that some have the attitude that poor people do not have the right to use the services of a Public Library without being spied on. Public Libraries were founded on the principal of serving the general public.