Venue: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria, 328
Swanston Street, Melbourne (corner of Latrobe and Swanston; entrance on
Latrobe Street side; Melbourne Central train station)
Admission: no charge
RSVP Contact: ALIA Branch Office, Helen Sweeny phone (03) 9816 4904,
E-mail: h.sweeny@c031.aone.net.au.
Program description
It has been just over one year since the amendments to the Broadcasting
Services Act covering the legality of different types of content on the
Internet became law in Australia. In December 1999 the Australian
Broadcasting Authority (ABA) approved the Internet Industry Association
(IIA) Code of Practice version 6.0 which was purely concerned with
content regulation. This version included a list of "Approved
Filters" which ISPs were required to "provide for use, at a
charge determined by the ISP".
What is the story on filtering software and content regulation?
What has been the experience in the United States, which has also been
examining the use of filtering devices? What has been found out
about the list of software products listed by the IIA? How can you
think about filtering good, bad or ugly?
Format: A panel of 3, each getting 45 minutes for presentation and
Q&A, with remaining time available for general conversation by the
panel and audience on issues raised
Presentations
U.S. Libraries and the Internet: The Roller Coaster Years
Ann Symons, 1998-99 President of the American Library Association, is
a familiar library voice on filtering and Internet management issues. She
has chaired ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee, is currently a member
of the Freedom to Read Foundation Board, and the 2000 winner of the
Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. Symons is the author of
numerous articles as well as co-author of Protecting the Right to Read: A
How-to-do-it manual for school and public librarians (Neal-Schuman) and
co-editor of Speaking Out: Voices in Celebration of Intellectual Freedom
(ALA Editions).
Online Content: Whose Problem?
Derek Whitehead, Director, Information Resources at Swinburne
University of Technology. From 1996 to the end of 1999 he was
Deputy State Librarian at the State Library of Victoria, a position which
followed a long career at the State Library, including various positions
at senior level from 1988-1999. Derek has also been president of
the Australian library industry association, ACLIS (1998-99), and
is a Fellow of the Australian Library and Information Association
(1995). In 2000 he was awarded the R D Williamson Award for his
contribution to the use of information technology in Australian
libraries. With regard to his involvement in this topic, Derek is a
member of the Board of NetAlert Limited, a body created in December 1999
to provide community and industry advice to the Commonwealth Government
on the operation of the online content provisions of the Broadcasting
Services Act, and public education relating to the Internet.
Filtered Content: Whose Decision?
Irene Graham, Executive Director, Electronic Frontiers
Australia. Irene joined EFA in 1995 and has been a Board Member and
Secretary since October 1997. Irene became active in opposing attempts to
censor the Internet in 1994, shortly after she started using the Net. She
maintains a
comprehensive web site on the topic of censorship. She is
also concerned by threats to civil liberties in general and has a
particular interest in privacy, both on and off-line.
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