By Sarah Carlson, Staff Writer

The Brown Library has had problems with people viewing inappropriate material on the library computers before this semester, said Dora Weathers, audio and visual librarian.

Weathers said the problem is not widespread as far as she knows, and only a few instances have occurred in the past few years-one of which was earlier this semester.

The librarians do not normally monitor what students are viewing, Weathers said.

“We can’t control what everybody’s doing,” she said.

A male student was discovered two months ago viewing pornography in the government documents section of the library, said Laura Baker, government documents librarian.

Baker said the person would go to the library late at night and act suspicious and was always aware when someone was near him.

She said when she discovered what he was viewing, she told him she was concerned about him and what he was looking at, as well as for the people around him.

Baker said he left but came back several weeks later.

She then asked for his ID, but he did not have one and gave her a false name, Baker said. She said she has not seen him since.

Weathers said the library has the same firewall protection on the Internet as the rest of ACU’s campus.

The firewall does not block inappropriate material received through e-mail, however, and Weathers said she thinks that is how most people on campus view the material, such as pornography.

Weathers said the only time she caught a student looking at pornography on a library computer was two years ago.

She said the student was in the third-floor computer lab on the front row and was reported by a female student who could see what he was watching.

“It was as if he wanted to be caught,” Weathers said.

Baker said filtering Internet material helps protect students and community members from seeing things they do not want to see.

“I think on the whole it’s a good thing,” Baker said.

Some problems have occurred where students had valid needs for schoolwork, such as for health classes or marital counseling, but they cannot research certain areas because of the firewall, Baker said.

“If someone has a need for something, then they can come to us, and we will find a way to get it to them,” Baker said.

Aside from pornography, Weathers said she thinks students should have the freedom of choice to watch and read what they want.

“You have to get an education,” she said.