Eagle Mountain is cracking down on online video games.

This summer, the city's library computers were overrun by youth playing online video games, said Michele Graves, Eagle Mountain librarian. Children coming in to do online homework were being turned away, and the library decided to draw a line.

Beginning a few weeks ago, the library announced that, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day, the library's Internet access would be a video game-free zone.

"We were ending up with all eight computers being gaming computers," she said.

Since the crackdown, "it's been really good," she said. "The kids have adapted to it very well. "We have had quite a few compliments and thank-yous from the public. The only people who have been unhappy have been the 11- to 14-year-olds who can't play at home."

The library has already decided to keep the three-hour afternoon ban even when school is off during the summer, she said.

Across Utah Valley, an informal Daily Herald survey by phone revealed libraries are of two minds about the online video game issue.

Louise Wallace, director of the Orem Library, said the library has no ban on online video gaming and would be loath to make any judgment about what is or is not appropriate, outside of the obscene or illegal.

The only prohibition at the Orem library is that patrons may use the Internet for only an hour, unless there is no one waiting, in which case "you are welcome to stay and stay and stay," she said.

Some students, her own daughter included, have been assigned to play certain online games in order to complete certain math skills, she said.

"How do you judge which is more important?" she said, noting that patrons use the library's Internet access for myriad applications, everything from sending resumes, to playing, to browsing, to shopping. "We don't make a judgment."

Other libraries are not so indulgent.

Both American Fork and Lehi said they have a no tolerance policy toward Internet video game playing, and have banned it totally for years now. Springville said it has no policy against online video game playing, and Provo referred the Daily Herald to its library Web site, which appeared to also have no policy against game playing.