Introduction

The purpose of this website is to outline a set of guiding principles for ethical action for Academic Law Librarians, through the creation of a new code of ethics. Each principle given will be supported by an underlying ethical reasoning, or justification. This new code of ethics is adapted from two current ethical codes which govern academic law librarians. It brings the two codes together to create a specific code for librarians who work in academic law libraries. Academic law librarians assist law students throughout their law school journey. Law students are required to take a course in professional responsibility, or ethics for lawyers. Since they are required to act in an ethical manner not only as students (based on a honor code) but within the field they are entering, it only makes sense that a law librarian should act ethically too. Upon sitting for the bar exam, students are required to pass a test about professional responsibility. This further supports the need for academic law librarians to lead as an example of a professional who acts ethically.