acts."


Third, libraries have sought to keep patrons (again,
especially children) from intentionally accessing sexually
explicit materials or other materials that the library deems
inappropriate. For example, a study of the Tacoma Public
Library's Internet use logs for the year 2000 showed that users
between the ages of 11 and 15 accounted for 41% of the filter
blocks that occurred on library computers. The study, which we
credit, concluded that children and young teens were actively
seeking to access sexually explicit images in the library. The
Greenville Library's Board of Directors was particularly
concerned that patrons were accessing obscene materials in the
public library in violation of South Carolina's obscenity
statute.
Finally, some libraries have regulated patrons' Internet use
to attempt to control patrons' inappropriate (or illegal)
behavior that is thought to stem from viewing Web pages that
contain sexually explicit materials or content that is otherwise
deemed unacceptable.
We recognize the concerns that led several of the public
libraries whose librarians and board members testified in this
case to start using Internet filtering software. The testimony
of the Chairman of the Board of the Greenville Public Library is
illustrative. In December 1999, there was considerable local
press coverage in Greenville concerning adult patrons who
routinely used the library to surf the Web for pornography. In
response to public outcry stemming from the newspaper report, the
Board of Trustees held a special board meeting to obtain