Abstract:
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) conducted its national longitudinal survey, School Libraries Count!, between January 24 and March 4, 2012. The annual survey collected data on filtering in schools. Participants answered 14 questions ranging from whether or not their schools use filters, to the specific types of social media blocked at their schools. This paper is an overview of the data that was collected. As the results show, filtering continues to be an important issue for most schools around the country. The data from School Libraries Count! suggests that many schools are going beyond the requirements set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA). AASL’s position views the social aspect of learning as important for students in the 21st century and much of the filtering software seems to discount that aspect.
