Hi, Steve!

This is a really excellent tool for schools, provided they have someone to sit and watch the monitor, and thanks for thinking of me!

I'm afraid it wouldn't work for me, though. I'm supposed to act as a guide, not a guardian, and I haven't the legal authority that schools have to act in loco parentis. I can act to enforce the library policies, but I'm not supposed to eavesdrop or to keep records of patron usage apart from who is currently using materials or facilities, and that's to protect community property from theft and vandalism.

Public librarians, especially those of us who work with children, try to watch out for our young patrons, but the responsibility is with their parents. Parents who want to "leave their kids somewhere safe" can be assured that the library is just as safe as any other building that's open to the general public. Most of the time nothing happens. We have homeless people who hang out and take spongebaths in the restrooms (when they think they won't be caught), and idle teenagers who raise hell. People have sex in the stacks, though they also aren't caught often. We have arson and murder. The operative phrase for these parents is "leave their kids". The Internet is a public place, too, and it's just as safe.

Thanks--
Mary Anne