Y'all know I wasn't seriously asking if you were running a malicious web-site, I just couldn't help taking the 'p' out of what I thought the cause to be. Jobsworths. The word covers everything.
As I understand it, the filtering software has parameters which can be set by the company providing and operating the IT systems on behalf of the various councils up and down the country. Most councils no longer have their own IT departments but contract this work out to private companies and pay them shed-loads of money to do it. The company responsible for operating this software for the libraries of many local goverments in the UK is called Capita, it is certainly Capita providing IT systems for Blackburn with Darwen Council and I strongly suspect Capita provide the same services for Lancashire County Council because I get the same filtering of that URL in Burnley, Nelson, Clitheroe, Colne and Accrington.
So if most of that is as true as I understand it to be, then can't it all be summed up as "this was set by the experts, it's more than my job's worth to change any settings now" ?
Edit Thursday morning, 29th December 2011
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Just for information, I went down to Bolton Library (different IT system providers) to check if C.E.M.B. website was deemed to be in a "Malicious Web Sites" category. I am happy to tell you that both this forum and the website can be accessed in Bolton libraries. But I couldn't leave it at that, I just had to share the information with Accrington library staff this morning.
Result:
The lancashire library service have changed the "access levels" on my library card and now I can access your website as well as your forum. After thanking them I couldn't help asking if everybody else's "access levels" on their library card was set the same as mine had been. They have said said yes. So, momentarily all my paranoias disappeared. They then said that as a condition of my new "access levels" I will no longer be able to go straight to a computer and book myself on but will have to do so through a member of library staff.
My paranoia that it is a bad idea to complain and draw attention to yourself has returned. And if what I'm being told is true, then nothing has changed for other library users, your website (but not this forum) is still categorised as a "malicious web site". And all I've achieved is to draw unwelcome attention and suspicion to myself.
Bah humbug! It's the time of year.
