Especially in the modern era, the profession of librarian is a complicated role that incorporates elements of public service, education, organization, and a deep understanding of how communities obtain, use and distribute information. Librarians are called to create collections that reflect the interests and needs of their surrounding communities, to provide a valuable ‘third space’ that provides a wide variety of services and resources, and to exist as an institution where patrons are enabled to educate and inform themselves. In sum, modern libraries are designed to provide access: access to information, access to resources, and access to services, all provided in a private, equitable, and ethical manner.
One of the easiest avenues through which the underlying ethics and values of librarianship can be examined is the framework published by the American Library Association. This nine-point document covers a wide range of goals – and with good reason. Ethical decisions are complicated and nuanced, and so it is best to have a series of guidelines that offer a rough path, rather than specific instructions. When taken in aggregate, this rough path is again guided by the triple signposts of access, privacy, and freedom of information (ALA Code of Ethics, n.d.).
As mentioned above, the primary job of librarians is to provide access to information and resources. We are trained in methods of information seeking, as well as ways to enable others in their information gathering. Simultaneously, we curate and create targeted library collections, and work with other branches and systems to ensure that we can provide the information that we cannot house. In the modern era, these collections expand to provide new technologies like 3D printing and music booths (“Kube Sound Isolation,” 2024) – but the intent remains the same: to provide people with the ability to obtain the information they are looking for.
Privacy is another important component of the ethical framework of librarianship. A patron’s library history is their business, and no one else’s. Libraries have long stood for patron privacy, even against organizations such as the FBI and other government agencies (Nichols Hess et al., 2015). For academic and public branches, this means that LGBT+ individuals can feel safe to read books on topics that have been banned at home (Villagran & Hofman, 2024), and tenants can explore ways to protect themselves from landlords who do not have their best interests at heart (“Learn the Law,” 2017). Especially today, in the light of governmental efforts that seek to strip away protections and rights, it is essential that patron privacy remain tantamount.
The last element that is essential to the profession of librarianship is freedom of information. In today’s libraries, we fight against censorship and other attempts to restrict access to certain titles. Ebooks have been a powerful tool in this regard, as branches not local to areas where books are being banned can offer free access to restricted material (Mikel & Blackwell, 2023). Additionally, keeping hard-copy reference materials at libraries ensures that even in the absence of internet resources, up-to-date material can still be examined. As librarians, we believe that information should be free for all to access, and we intend to continue championing that cause.
As stated at the beginning of this section, the modern library has a wide variety of complicated duties that it is charged to fulfill. However, those duties – and the goals of the library as a whole – can be summarized in terms of access to information and services, freedom of information, and patron privacy. All of these are the elements that transform the modern library from a building where books are held to a community resource, a center that people know they can approach for assistance, information, or, yes, even just their new favorite book.
As a result of both my classes and my experiences working at various levels of the Contra Costa County Public Library system, I have been able to gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying ethics, values, and goals of the library profession. Thanks to my mentors and supervisors, I have been able to observe the ways that I could ensure that libraries are open and available to all. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I watched as the library system adopted new policies and practices, from shifting storytimes to a virtual video format to prepreparing book pickups so that lending could still occur. Through my coursework at SJSU, I gained knowledge about how to determine the needs of the community – and therefore how to maintain collections and connections that are relevant to my patrons.
As I moved into Library Assistant positions with the county, I soon found an opportunity to test my skills. Teenage patrons are an oft-underserved population at libraries (Chelton, 2008), but at one of my branches, our afternoon influx was almost entirely composed of high schoolers. While tensions were high at first, I knew that it was our duty to improve relations, and demonstrate to our teenage patrons that the library was there for them too. To this end, I spent time with the teens, got to know what they found interesting and what we could do to make the library into a more hospitable space for them. I also examined the aspects that I would have wanted to see at the library when I was their age, and ultimately, by providing board game afternoons and art supplies, was able to create an environment where teenage patrons would happily greet us – unprompted – when they walked in the door.
I know that promoting access, privacy, and freedom of information are the core tenets of librarianship – and I am aware that there is more work to be done as the interests and needs of our patrons shift. However, thanks to both my work experience thus far, and the coursework I have completed at SJSU, I believe that my classmates and I are up for the challenge.
As supporting evidence that I am aware (and seek to exemplify) the ethics, values, and foundational principles of library work, I have assembled the following documents. The first is an in-depth study of how teenage patrons are viewed and (often mis-)characterized by library employees. I believe that this demonstrates my understanding of how to provide library resources for an oft-underserved population, emphasizing my commitment to access for all. The second is a discussion post from Reference Information Services, which focuses on the importance of selecting titles that represent all members of society. Finally, from Applied Research Methods, I present my CITI Program certification form. This document confirms that I know and adhere to best practices when conducting surveys and experiments – like the ones that I might need to determine the needs of a specific community.
Teenage patrons are often viewed as troublesome and challenges, rather than welcomed into library environments. This goes against the framework established by the ALA, which instructs us to “affirm the inherent dignity and rights of every person” (ALA Code of Ethics, n.d.). However, this mentality, while harmful, does not originate from nowhere. In this document, I explore the underlying reasons why there is such prejudice against teenage patrons, especially in library environments. I follow this exploration up with some potential solutions that could allow library employees to view teenagers not as problem patrons, but as guests with much to offer. With this information, I know that I can examine my coworkers’ and my own biases, and move past harmful stereotypes.
Focusing on diversity doesn’t just mean welcoming individuals at the doors of a library. It also means that thought must go into what items we have on shelves and what resources we have available, especially for marginalized groups. In this discussion post, I discovered that 50% of the protagonists in children’s books were white (Huyck and Dahlen, 2019) – creating a stark discrepancy between the portrayal of main characters, and the people who would read them. If our branches do not take care to acquire items that portray individuals as diverse as the community that they exist in, not only is the community insulated from thinking outside their own worldview, but they are excluding others by content, even if not by practice.
In Applied Research Methods, one of the first requirements of the course was to complete CITI training. The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative has been providing trainings on ethics for a wide variety of topics since 2000 (Get to Know CITI Program, n.d.). For my purposes, I took the Human Subjects Research and Students conducting no more than minimal risk research trainings. These allowed me to understand the best practices of ethical human research, ensuring that I treat any participants in a study with respect and proper decorum. This is relevant to library work, as we can use these best practices to conduct community surveys and collect information on patron preferences in a manner that maintains individuals’ privacy while outfitting the library to be attuned to its surrounding community’s desires.
The principles that guide libraries forward are clear: freedom of information, access to resources and services, and privacy in their quests for knowledge. These guidelines that have been set forth by the ALA, are championed by libraries worldwide, and ensure that these institutions remain open and available to all (ALA Code of Ethics, n.d.). By internalizing these goals and committing to these principles, through both the evidence displayed above as well as my ongoing efforts in my work environment, I know that I will continue to provide library patrons with the tools, resources, and services that they need to succeed.
ALA Code of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics
Chelton, M. K. (2002). The ‘Problem patron’ public libraries created. The Reference Librarian, Winter, 23-32.
Get To Know CITI Program | CITI Program. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2025, from https://about.citiprogram.org/get-to-know-citi-program/
Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen. (2019 June 19). Diversity in Children’s Books 2018. sarahpark.comLinks to an external site. blog. Created in consultation with Edith Campbell, Molly Beth Griffin, K. T. Horning, Debbie Reese, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, and Madeline Tyner, with statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison: ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/pcstats.aspLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from readingspark.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/picture-this-diversity-in-childrens-books-2018-infographicLinks to an external site..
Kube Sound Isolation secures contract for Central Library Refurbishment - music recording booths. (2024). In Pivotal Sources. Disco Digital Media, Inc.
“Learn the Law” at Elkhart library explores landlord-tenant relations. (2017). In TCA Regional News. Tribune Content Agency LLC.
Mikel, A., & Blackwell, M. (2023). BOOKS UNBANNED: Expanding Access to Content via Library Ebooks. Computers in Libraries, 43(4), 22–27.
Nichols Hess, A., LaPorte-Fiori, R., & Engwall, K. (2015). Preserving Patron Privacy in the 21st Century Academic Library. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(1), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2014.10.010
Villagran, M. A. L., & Hofman, D. (2024). “It’s hard to know what we should be doing”: LGBTQ+ students’ library privacy in the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexualities, 27(7), 1225–1246. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634607231152428