Ja eller nej till filter? En kvalitativ undersökning i frågan om svenska folkbibliotek bör filtrera Internet eller ej.
The focus of this work is to study whether public libraries should offer their patrons unlimited access to the Internet, or restrict which sites they can visit. The most common tool used to limit Internet access is filtering software. The author has administered four interviews with public librarians working in libraries in Southern Sweden. All four librarians had different opinions about restricting Internet access. The most important question asked was if they had chosen to use filtering, and the reasons for their decision. The Internet is becoming more frequently used in modern libraries. It is a useful source for quickly finding information, but it has several disadvantages compared to traditional media. The information can be erroneous, and the amount of information is enormous. These two problems can make it difficult to find the desired information and to be sure of its accuracy. The Internet has also made it much easier for children to access inappropriate material. These facts demonstrate why librarians have to think carefully when offering their patrons Internet access. The librarians interviewed did not think that filtering is a kind of censorship. Three of the librarians mentioned children when asked about filtering. Two of them were in favor of filtering, but the third was against filtering. She stated that in order to learn, children need to be exposed to information which is suspect, so that they can be more critical about what they see on the Internet. The main conclusion is that regardless of the choice of whether or not to use filtering, librarians need to be aware of the problems associated with Internet access so they can make an informed decision. Filtering, in some instances, results in a positive effect, while in other cases it is inappropriate.