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This article presents the results of a survey on the impact of U.S. federal aid to schools to promote computer and Internet use among poor children in California. Poor schools with black and Hispanic students received the bulk of the $937 million allocated to the state from 1998 to 2000. Survey was conducted by economists at the University of Chicago.

Reports on a Los Angeles public library which has set aside several computer terminals to automatically default to the Kid's Path page, aimed at children. How the technique is not a filter, but promoted child-friendly Internet use; Misunderstanding of the system; Reasons for the default system.

Reports that the San Francisco (California) Board of Supervisors has voted not to use Internet filters on public access computers. How this defies a federal mandate requiring filters to protect children from pornography on public computers; Implications for San Francisco Public Library; Mention of how the Charleston County Library in South Carolina has agreed to comply with the filtering requirement.

Reports on the dismissal of a library-related lawsuit in California. Statement that a suit intended to force the Livermore, California public library to filter the Internet has been dismissed twice and, as of April, 2001, is in appeals court; Decision that libraries cannot be penalized for providing minors with access to Internet content posted by a third party.

Offers results of a survey of California public libraries determining the frequency with which Internet use by minors is monitored. Percentage of libraries that use Internet filters; Previous statistics offered by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the American Library Association Office for Information Technology; Percentage that require signed parental consent forms; Number that have endured technical problems because of filtering software.

Offers news briefs for August 1998 concerning libraries in the United States. Showdown on copyright legislation between libraries and content providers; Refusal of the Livermore Public Library in California to install Internet filters to sites that may be obscene or harmful to minors; Lawsuit against book distributor Baker & Taylor; Other news.

Reports that the San Jose (Calif.) Public Library has been able to avoid installing Internet blocking software. September 1997 decision by the city council; Comments from librarian Jane Light.

Reports that the `San Jose Mercury-News' sponsored a panel discussion involving parents, librarians and others to air their views on whether World Wide Web filters are acceptable. World Wide Web address for the edited transcript of the meeting; Difference between goals of schools and those of libraries remarked upon by Ann Ravel, chief assistant counsel for Santa Clara County in California.

The article describes the work of school districts throughout the United States as of 2012 in formulating policies for teacher-student communication online. Details are given providing anecdotes of different teachers in California who have adopted boundaries between teacher-student interactions on social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook. Comments are also given noting criticism of the restrictions.

The article reports on the use of Web filter system by Poway Unified School District to ensure its compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act in California. The system is developed by St. Bernard Software Inc. that permit staff members of school district to adjust Internet access at their discretion.

The article reports on the concern expressed by some child safety advocates over live video chats in Los Angeles, California. Stickam Web site allows such type of chats with the use of Web cams among its thousand registered users. These advocates believe that the new trend can create serious problems among children despite the Web site's prohibition of obscene, profane and indecent behavior during live chats. It is due to the fact that it would be difficult to monitor many users as they interact with one another.

The article reports that the Solano County Board of Supervisors in the Solano County Library in California emphasized the need for children under the age of 18 to use Internet-filtering software when surfing the Web at all branches of the library. An overview of the complaint against the library which prompted the action of the county board is presented. It discusses the duties of librarians in line with the installation of Internet-filtering software.

Presents the opinions of the author about the mistaken belief of children and adults that all information on the Internet is reliable and accurate. Study conducted by the University of California-Los Angeles' Center for Communication Policy about the percent of students who believed in 2001 and 2002 that the content on the Internet was accurate; Need for librarians to raise awareness about how little Americans know about the quality of what they find on the Net; Recommended questions to ask Web users about their use of information on the Internet.

Focuses on the technological advances in library services in California. Benefits of online libraries on education; Modernization of techniques and resources; Revolution of the habits and expectations of students.

Features Cheryl Harrigan's Internet classroom at Hanford High School in Hanford, California. Sample of Harrigan's class policies; Penalties for violating rules in using the Internet; Problems faced by Harrigan when dealing with kids who are free of giving out information about themselves.

The article discusses a study on adults' opinions about the Internet use of children in California. The study indicates that 53% of adults stresses on the risks of Internet to the children in their households while 24% disagreed with the statement. Moreover, the study demonstrate that 63% of adults are uncomfortable with the children participating in online communities.

The article reports on the adoption by the authority board of the Sacramento Public Library in California of an Internet-use policy intended to balance the protection of children with the right of adult patrons to view potentially offensive materials. The new policy implemented on March 22, 2007, offers filtered access as a default, but unfiltered access can be requested on a per session basis, although patrons under age 17 must obtain parental consent.

States that C. James Schmidt, professor at the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science in California, was appointed to the Commission on Online Child Protection by Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.). Duties of the commission; Schmidt's career highlights.

Presents news briefs relating to library science for January 1999. Internet policy and the use of access-blocking software at libraries in the United States; How the Stephen King book `The Dark Half' will not be banned at a Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin high school; A lawsuit against the Livermore Public Library in California for allowing filter-free Internet access by underage patrons; A Pennsylvania library failing to remove the film `Leaving Las Vegas' from the video collection.

Presents a graph depicting the Internet performance index for the week ending October 13, 1997. Fastest and slowest site; Top five Web sites.