WWWL - Access Policy of the WWWL

Introduction

The world is in the midst of an electronic communitations revolution. It is so easy to forget about the written word. Based on its constitutional, ethical and historical heritage , Letter authorship is uniquly positioned to address the broad range of information issued being raised in this revolution of tecnology. In paticular, this site adress's intellecual freedom from a strong ethical base and an abding commitment to the preservation of the individual's rights, paticularly - freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression is an inailenable human right and the foundation for self-government. Freedom of expression encompasses the freedom of speech and the corollary right to recieve and send information. These rights extend to minors as well as adults. This site exists to facilitate the exercise of these rights, by simply sitting down and Writting a letter.

The Web of World Wide Letters expresses these basic principles of authorship is its CODE OF ETHICS and BILL OF RIGHTS and it's Interpretations. These serve to guide patrons in address issures of intellecual freedom that arise when writting the written word.

Issues arising from the still-develping technology of computer mediated information generation, distribution and retreval need to be aproched whith the idea that it is a tool for comunication, that has just been born on this eath not more tha 100 years ago, the Letter has been around ever since the written word, and is here to stay.

Letters flows across boundaries and barriers despite attemps by indeviduals, governmetns, and private entitis to channel or control the written word. Even so, many people, for reasons of technology, infrastructure, or socio-economic status do not have access to the written word.

In making decisions about how to offer access to letters, each Patron should consider his or her missions, goals, objectives, cooplerative agreements, and the needs of the people the letter is geared.

THE RIGHTS OF PATRONS OF THE WWWL:

All WWWL Policies, relating to The Letter should be scrutinized for potential violation of Patron rights.
Patron Policies should be developed according to the policies set forth by the internet provider, and Geocieties Site provider.
Patrons should not be restricted or denied access for expressing or recieving constitutionally protected speech. Patron access should not be changed with out due process, including, but not limited to, formal notice and means of appeal.
Although Letters may include desinct property rights and security conserns, such elements may not be employed as a subterfuge to deny patrons access to the letter. Patrons have the right to be free of unreasonable limitation or conditions set by this site, the site provider, or internet provider. Contracts, agreements, and licenses entered by any staff of WWWL on behalf of their patrons should not violate this right. Patrons also have a rightr to information, training and assistance necessary to write or read the letter by this site.
Patrons have both the right of confidentiality and the right of privacy. WWWL should uphold these right by policy, proceedure and practice. Patrons should be advised, however, that because security is technically difficult on this site to achieve, electronic tranactions and files could become public.

EQUIDY OF ACCESS

Information and services provided dirctly or indirectly by WWWL should be equally, readily and equitably accessible to all WWWL Patrons. Geocities Policies oppose the charging of Patron Fees for the provision of information services by WWWL and information services that recieve their major support from advertizing funds of the business sector. It should be the goal of WWWL to develop Policies concerning acess in light of Elecronic Barriers to Information Access.

Providing Links to other sites on the web is not the same as selecting infomation for THIS web site. The links provided by this site should be considered only as tools developed by persons not associated with WWWL. Determining the accuracy or authenticith of this links my present special problems. Some information from these links may not meet the standards or policiees of WWWL. It is, therefor, left to each patron to determine what informaion by these sites are accurate. Parents and legal guardians who are concerned about their children's use of these other sits should provide guidanct to their own children.

WWWL should not deny or limit access to information availibel from the written word because of its allegedy controvversial content or because of Webmaster's personal beliefs or fear of confrontation. Information retrieved or utilized via the letter should be considered constitutionally protected unless determined otherwise by a court with appropriat jurisdiction.

WWWL, acting within it's mission and objectives, must support access to letters on all subjects that serve the needs or interest of each Patron, regardless of the Patron's age or the ccontent of the material. WWWL has an oblication to provide information and to encourage it's Patrons the emportance of the Written Word. WWWL and it's staff should not deny access to information solel,y on the grounds that it is perceived to lack value. In order to prevent the loss of information, and to plrserve the cultural record, WWWL may need to expand it's selection or collection development policies to ensure preservation, in appropriate formats, of information obtained by the letter.

The Written Word provides unprecedented opportunities to expand the scope of informatin available to Patrons. WWWL should provide access to infomation presenting all points of view. The provision to access does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of any letter.
Adopted by the ALA Council, January 24, 1996 Link Resourses and Access Issues: