Internet Usage Policies for Internet Gaming on Public Computers
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Traci Juhala
Oct 19, 2009, 8:14:13 PM10/19/09
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We would like to offer Internet gaming, for the first time ever, in our Children's area. We have 6 computers that have had pre-packaged software games in the past. There has been a lot of concern expressed by our administrators and technology coordinator regarding this request to offer Internet gaming. We talked about having whitelists or blacklists for certain games, but that seems unmanageable. We want to make the computers as open as possible, without causing harm to the computers or the kids. Can anyone help me by directing me to library Web sites that have clear-cut policies for game-playing on public computers? Any guidance will be most welcome.
Traci Juhala
Head of Children's Services
Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library
Bismarck, North Dakota
Jim Peterson
Oct 20, 2009, 9:32:17 AM10/20/09
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Hello, Traci.
Here at the Goodnight Library we don't do anything to discourage online game play, with the exception of pornographic or ultra-violent content. We have had to run people off for playing a Texas Hold 'em game that popped up a pornographic shot between hands (poor choice of words, I know
)
That being said, our computer use policy prohibits stuff like that, with clearly stated consequences for violators. Here's a link to our policy in PDF format. Additionally, on our Children's Services page and on our Teen Services page, we list several online game sites that are age-appropriate and are always on the lookout for more.
As far as managing the content, I would recommend building an open-source appliance. You can even use an older PC, put IPCop on it with Dansguardian and set it up to allow all content but the porno stuff. You'll likely have to manually key in okay sites, for medical professionals and students. We have one EMT that goes to www.hultgren.org, a Kentucky EMS site, that most parental controls will filter out as questionable due to anatomical content. And that brings up another point to consider: parental controls on the children's computers. You could use Internet Explorer's, but they are rudimentary and easy to get around. In fact, parental controls are nearly useless if the user goes to an anonymizer site like kproxy.com or anonymouse.org. The controls see the anonymizer site's address and don't pay attention to where the patron goes beyond that.
I hope this helps you out, and good luck!
Here at the Goodnight Library we don't do anything to discourage online game play, with the exception of pornographic or ultra-violent content. We have had to run people off for playing a Texas Hold 'em game that popped up a pornographic shot between hands (poor choice of words, I know
)That being said, our computer use policy prohibits stuff like that, with clearly stated consequences for violators. Here's a link to our policy in PDF format. Additionally, on our Children's Services page and on our Teen Services page, we list several online game sites that are age-appropriate and are always on the lookout for more.
As far as managing the content, I would recommend building an open-source appliance. You can even use an older PC, put IPCop on it with Dansguardian and set it up to allow all content but the porno stuff. You'll likely have to manually key in okay sites, for medical professionals and students. We have one EMT that goes to www.hultgren.org, a Kentucky EMS site, that most parental controls will filter out as questionable due to anatomical content. And that brings up another point to consider: parental controls on the children's computers. You could use Internet Explorer's, but they are rudimentary and easy to get around. In fact, parental controls are nearly useless if the user goes to an anonymizer site like kproxy.com or anonymouse.org. The controls see the anonymizer site's address and don't pay attention to where the patron goes beyond that.
I hope this helps you out, and good luck!
|
Jim Peterson Technology Coordinator Goodnight Memorial Library 203 S. Main St. Franklin, KY 42134 (270) 586-8397 www.gmpl.org Tweet me @GMLGeek Library Technology Blog |
Jim Peterson
Oct 20, 2009, 11:08:20 AM10/20/09
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Hello Traci,
Here at the Goodnight Library, we don't do anything to limit online game play, with the exception of pornographic stuff. We have had people go to online casinos to play hold 'em, and in between each hand a pornographic picture would pop up.
That being said, our computer use policy prohibits behavior online that causes harm to the computers or its users whether current or future. Here's a link to our policy,n
Here at the Goodnight Library, we don't do anything to limit online game play, with the exception of pornographic stuff. We have had people go to online casinos to play hold 'em, and in between each hand a pornographic picture would pop up.
That being said, our computer use policy prohibits behavior online that causes harm to the computers or its users whether current or future. Here's a link to our policy,n
|
Jim Peterson Technology Coordinator Goodnight Memorial Library 203 S. Main St. Franklin, KY 42134 (270) 586-8397 www.gmpl.org Tweet me @GMLGeek Library Technology Blog |
On Tue, 2009-10-20 at 00:14 +0000, Traci Juhala wrote:
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