(a) Recognizing the difference between public libraries, which are designed for public inquiry, and school libraries, school computer labs, and school media centers, which serve unique educational purposes, all public library computers with access to the Internet available for use by children under the age of 17 must be equipped to restrict, including by use of available software filtering technology or other effective methods, all access by children to material that is reasonably believed to be obscene or child pornography or material harmful to minors under federal or state law.
(b) A public library is not required to purchase filtering technology if the public library would incur more than incidental expense in making the purchase.
(c) A public library that receives state money must prohibit, including through the use of available software filtering technology or other effective methods, adult access to material that under federal or state law is reasonably believed to be obscene or child pornography. A public library may remove a person from the library if the person gains access or attempts to gain access to materials prohibited under this section by intentionally bypassing the filtering technology or other method used by the library.
(d) A public library, its agents or employees, are immune from liability for failure to comply with this section if they have made a good faith effort to comply with the requirements of this section.
(e) This section does not apply to the libraries of postsecondary institutions.
History:2000 c 489 art 6 s 27