CAMBRIDGE - The city's four city libraries continue to be the only ones in Waterloo Region that don't filter pornography on their public internet access computers.

The Cambridge public library board yesterday rejected calls to install blocking software, after a staff report said current technology continues  to hide content that may not be illegal.

The board did, however, direct staff to look at bluntly informing parents there's no blocking of offensive websites  if their children log onto any of the public terminals, including in the children's areas. The issue will be discussed again at a future library board meeting.

"What's frustrating is our tax dollars are being used  to provide pornography," Cindy Watson, of Cambridge, told the library board.

She's a public school board trustee, but was speaking as a private citizen to the library board.

The fact the library board is willing to continue discussion the issue and will better inform parents is good start, Watson said. She's not giving up on the issue.

Watson read a letter from retired Provincial Police officer Rob Nickel, who caught someone downloading pornography on a library computer two months ago  while children were standing beside him. 

Nickel, who lectures police, children and educators about internet safety, was in Alberta on a speaking engagement, so he couldn't make present it in person.

Here's a previous story on the issue, and another here.

Nickel called on the library to put filters on all children's computers, along with most adult computers.  A few unfiltered  internet computers could be isolated from children where adults could use them, he suggests.

Watson, too, wants filtering software.  She never knew the library didn't use net filters until she heard read about Nickel's experience in newspaper stories.

Andy Coutts, president of Guelph-based Netsweeper said no net filtering software is perfect, but it does good job blocking words and works 80 per cent of time catches pornographic images.

Don't focus on the technology, he advised the library board.  Set your internet access policy first, then fine tune the available technology to do  what you want.

The library uses screens on its internet monitors, which don't allow people to view what's on neighbouring computers.  Library staff oversee what people view. Patrons using internet computers  must agree to the library's internet usage policy.  All that means the Cambridge library libraries "due diligence requirement under Canadian law" to prevent downloading of illegal pornography, said Chief Librarian Greg Hayton said.

Putting filters only on children's computers would be a "panacea," Hayton said, because there's no evidence of any problem there.  That would muddle the issue of adults accessing improper content, something only a handful of people are complaining about, he said.

"That is the appearance of doing something, not the reality," he said.

Four years ago, the library board reviewed its internet filtering policy, and rejected using the software.  The board also understood parents would be plainly warned there was no internet filters in the library, said board member Danika Brown.

Hayton said the no-filtering policy is described on computer log-in screens and library card application forms.

"If we're not gong to filter, we have to very clearly state it," Brown said of the current notification process.

"Parents need  to know . .  that doesn't really help the parents."

Meanwhile, Cambridge MPP Gerry Martiniuik continues to push forward with a private members bill requiring public libraries use filtering software.  He expects the bill will be introduced to Queen's Park for a first vote early in the new year.