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Sheilah, Probably the most common internet filtering software for pre-teens that I've seen in my visits to member libraries is CYBERsitter. I haven't used it myself, but I've heard that it's relatively easy to install, use, and maintain. As a public library, you are also eligible for educational pricing, which is currently a one-time charge of $9.95 per seat (minimum of 10 seats). For more information and to download a free 10-day trial version, see http://www.cybersitter.com/. Net Nanny is another popular internet filter and it's top rated by TopTenReviews.com (http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/). It includes more advanced features than CYBERsitter, such as remote management and remote reporting functions, which may be very useful if you have a large number of teen and children's computers. I don't have any personal experience with Net Nanny and I'm not sure about its educational pricing, which is not listed on their website, but I suspect it's more expensive than CYBERsitter. See http://www.netnanny.com/ for more information. There are hardware internet filtering solutions as well, such as iPrism, but they tend to be much more expensive and more difficult to install and configure than software-based solutions. Anyway, for more information about hardware and software internet filtering products, take a look at http://libraryfiltering.org/. Unfortunately, my experience with internet filtering solutions is admittedly very limited (most of the libraries I visit don't filter at all), so I would also like to hear from our member libraries about their own experiences. Thanks, Mike Buras TANG (IT) Specialist Central Texas Library System, Inc. 1005 West 41st Street Austin, Texas 78756 Phone: (512) 583-0704, ext. 15 Fax: (512) 583-0709 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Sheilah Kosco [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 1:53 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ctls-l] filtering systems This is a message from CTLS-L. Selecting "Reply" will send a message to the originator. Selecting "Reply to All" will send a message to the entire list. --------------------------------------------------------- Dear All, The Bastop Public Library is searching for an internet filtering system to put on our teen and children's computers. We do not have a computer technican employed at the library, only have consultants that we have to schedule a visit with to get service. We need a filtering system that runs without having a technican work on it on a regular basis. Any libraries have experience with filtering systems that work and with those that don't work? Any information is helpful to us in trying to make a decision of what filter to buy. Thanks so much for your help. Sheilah Kosco Teen/Reference Librarian Bastrop Public Library 1100 Church Street PO Box 670 Bastrop, Tx 78653 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 512-303-0934
