Libraries across the country face a dilemma: should they filter the information available to their visitors via the Internet? This scenario is being debated throughout the United States. Many states argue over whether or not the library has the authority to limit what information is accessible via the Internet on library computers. The argument concerns the First Amendment right to free speech. There are family groups who support unfiltered access to the Internet, contrary to popular belief. These groups also support the idea of ​​parents being with their children when they are on the Internet, which is not something all parents have the luxury of being able to do. Other groups want public Internet access points filtered, saying any child at any time can be dangerously exposed to Internet information they might misunderstand. I will show options for what the local library should do and explain how I think the problem should be approached from a topological as well as a technical perspective.Public LibrariesLibraries in the United States have been fighting censorship since the American Library Association issued its first Library Bill of Rights in 1939. This document proclaimed the American Library Association's policy on intellectual freedom. With this bill, libraries have successfully defended their collections against censorship and defended their right to provide unlimited access to information to all users. Today, the battlefield has shifted from books to electronic information, primarily the Internet. Censorship of books decreased, and in turn shifted and attracted much more attention to middle of paper......Unknown. (1998). City officials will consider internet filtering at public libraries. [Online]. Available: http://texnews.com/1998/texas/new1115.html. [1998, November 15]. Wallace, Jonathan. (1997). Internet tagging, rating and filtering systems. [Online]. Available: http://www.spectacle.org/cda/rate.html. [1997, September 2]. Wallace, Jonathan. “Purchase of blocking software by public libraries in an unconstitutional context: a backgrounder”, available at http://www.spectacle.org/cs/library.htmlMichels, Spencer. “Easy access? Should online pornography be available in local libraries? Transcript available at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cyberspace/July-dec97/library_8-7.html [August 7, 1997]. Libraries struggle to control public Internet terminals. [Online]. Available: http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9901/25/library.porn.ap/ [January 1999, 25].