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Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of those principles within that profession.
Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of those principles within that profession.
Introduction
Introduction
Ethics is one of the most fundamental and integral topics that was extensively discussed throughout the program. Like many other professions and organizations, Library and Information Science (LIS) has a set of principles, values, and standards that instruct professionals on how to behave and conduct themselves when working and interacting with others, whether they are colleagues, clients/customers, or other stakeholders. The standards and expectations established by the American Library Association (ALA) in the Code of Ethics, Library Bill of Rights, and Freedom to Read Statement define the most important values in librarianship and create a framework that aids librarians in effectively serving their community.
Explication
Explication
Ethical principles facilitate good decision-making and ensure that librarians uphold the profession's core values. On a day-to-day basis, librarians often have to mitigate and resolve various ethical issues and situations. A significant part of accomplishing this requires being prepared, understanding the established principles, policies, and procedures set by LIS institutions and organizations, and keeping up to date on any new issues and changes (Garner, 2022). Some of the current ethical issues and challenges that currently exist revolve around diversity, equity, and inclusion; challenged and banned books; and minors accessing library resources and services.
Diversity, Equity of Access, and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity of Access, and Inclusion
One of the growing priorities in public librarianship is increasing efforts in the areas of diversity, equity of access, and inclusion in all areas of librarianship, from resources and services to staffing and professional development. Libraries are evolving institutions. As communities change and become more diverse, so do the needs of the community members. In response to this change, libraries constantly adapt in order to increase representation and “ensure communities being served have access to the resources they need, regardless of aspects of their identities including age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, disserved status, or socioeconomic status” (Bright, 2022, p. 67).
Advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion reaffirms many of the ALA's principles, such as the ninth statement of the Code of Ethics, which states, “We affirm the inherent dignity and rights of every person. We work to recognize and dismantle systemic and individual biases; to confront inequity and oppression; to enhance diversity and inclusion; and to advance racial and social justice in our libraries, communities, profession, and associations through awareness, advocacy, education, collaboration, services, and allocation of resources and spaces” (ALA, 2021).
Challenged and Banned Books
Challenged and Banned Books
In the past few years, there has seemingly been an increase of challenged and banned books in libraries all over the country. The ALA’s State of Libraries Report 2022 reported 729 challenges to 1,597 books in 2021, making it the highest attempt to ban books since the ALA started tracking challenges and banned books (2022). These books often present diverse perspectives that are often overlooked and underrepresented. What is explicitly clear in all of the statements made by the ALA is that about all else, the First Amendment must be protected, and censorship is a violation of the First Amendment and must be denied.
ALA (2021) Code of Ethics, Article II: “We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.”
ALA (2019c) Library Bill of Rights, Article II: “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”
ALA (2019c) Library Bill of Rights, Article III: “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.”
These statements and the actions of librarians nationwide defending First Amendment rights and denying censorship affirm the library’s critical role in promoting diverse perspectives of the community and ensuring that all voices are heard, and community members are represented.
Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors
Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors
Closely related to the abovementioned issues is the topic of minors accessing library resources and services that many would deem to be “inappropriate.” The natural tendency for adults in our society is to protect children from anything that may be harmful to them. As a result, it is often forgotten that minors “possess First Amendment rights, including the right to receive information through the library in print, sound, images, data, social media, online applications, games, technologies, programming, and other formats” (ALA, 2019b). In the Library Bill of Rights, Articles V and VII dictate that libraries must protect the rights of minors in the same way as adults. However, parents still retain the right to determine whether their child has access to certain library resources. This right does not extend to other children (ALA, 2019b).
Evidence
Evidence
For this assignment, I was required to select a journal article about one of the many concepts related to ethics, conduct an evaluation of the article, and provide a summary. The subject I chose was neutrality. What is the role of the librarian in the world of “fake news” and misinformation? Can librarians mitigate the negative influences without compromising their position of neutrality and intellectual freedom?
As I have learned, the answer is yes - by way of information literacy and mediation. While librarians cannot deny access to information that is misleading, fictitious, and/or presents controversial perspectives, they can educate the members of their community and help them develop information literacy skills that will help them evaluate and determine whether or not a piece of information is trustworthy on their own.
One of the topics covered in INFO 232 was the need for racial equity in public libraries. In this group project, I collaborated with three other team members to write about the critical role of libraries in advancing racial equity. Using resources from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) as a guide, my team and I (1) defined racial equity, (2) discussed the challenges caused by racial inequity, (3) examined how racial inequity is addressed in public libraries, and (4) provided examples of how advocating for racial equity has become a priority in recent years.
While we were responsible for our own individual sections, my team members and I all worked together to review, revise, and add to each section. In my section of the paper (section 4), I discussed the frameworks that libraries use to prioritize racial equity and provided examples of real cases of how the strategies can be implemented. My primary role in the group was the organizer and the notetaker. I also aided our team with staying on track by creating a tentative timeline that highlighted our goals and the desired deadlines for each one.
One of the discussion topics for INFO 266 was intellectual freedom and censorship. In my post, I recounted a situation I experienced while I was volunteering at a library. The situation involved a minor asking about a particular R-rated DVD title while I was showing him and his mother how to use the library’s catalog. As this was beyond my scope of responsibilities as a volunteer, I had to refer customers to the librarian, who was able to address the situation. From this experience, I gained a better understanding of the library’s policies regarding minors and accessing library resources and services. The responsibility for what children can or cannot view or borrow from the library lies squarely with the parents, not with the library. This is supported by the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.
One of the required exercises for INFO 285 was to complete one of the basic courses offered by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program titled “For Students conducting no more than minimal risk research.” This course covers assorted topics related to the ethical requirements for conducting research and involves human subjects, including avoiding potential conflicts of interests, the importance of remaining unbiased, and protecting the privacy of research participants.
An essential part of the course was the information about the Institutional Review Board Registration Requirements. While conducting research studies is important, it is critical that researchers protect the rights and welfare of human subjects. An essential component of this is treating participants with respect and being transparent in how they conduct their research. This certificate is evidence of my completion of the course.
Conclusion
Conclusion
While I currently do not work in a professional capacity in the field of LIS, the concepts of professional values and ethics are not new to me. From my previous experience in the world of real estate, some of the major tenets of professional ethics and values, such as honesty, integrity, and quality service, also exist in the LIS profession. I have learned through the coursework that the concepts of professional ethics, values, and principles have one universal purpose regardless of the profession – to guide professionals on how to provide optimal service and how to prevent and resolve ethical dilemmas.
The statements in the ALA’s Code of Ethics, Library Bill of Rights, and Freedom to Read Statement are what librarians aspire to accomplish. In all of my future endeavors, I will strive to apply these principles in my practice.
References
References
American Library Association. (2004). The freedom to read statement. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues.
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement
American Library Association. (2019a). Access to library resources and services for minors: An. Advocacy,
Legislation & Issues. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minors
American Library Association. (2019b). Access to library resources and services for minors: An. Advocacy,
Legislation & Issues.
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minors#notes
American Library Association. (2019c). Library bill of rights. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues.
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
American Library Association. (2021). Professional ethics. Tools, Publications & Resources.
https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics
American Library Association. (2022). State of America’s libraries report 2022. News and Press Center.
https://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2022
Bright, K. (2022). Equity of access, diversity, and inclusion. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An
introduction (3rd ed., pp. 66–79). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Garner, M. L. (2022). Information ethics. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction
(3rd ed., pp. 407–418). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
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