Library Ethics for Non-Librarians

Code of Ethics of the American Library Association - lasted updated 2008

Ethics in the use of technology from Ethics in School Librarianship: A Reader

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The principles of this Code are expressed in broad statements to guide ethical decision making. These statements provide a framework; they cannot and do not dictate conduct to cover particular situations.

1. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.
2. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.
3. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.
4. We respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders.
5. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.
6. We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.
7. We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.
8. We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.

Pick one scenario below. In a small group discuss:

• Is there an ethical choice that must be made in each scenario?
• What additional information would be helpful in making this decision?
• What might be the consequences of a poorly made decision be on students?
• Under which ALA Code principle might this fall?
• How might librarians help non-librarians facing these decisions?

Scenarios:

1. The building tech specialist decides to subscribe to an e-book service that offers a wide-range of reading materials rather than purchase any new print resources for the media center.
2. The principal decides that if a student is caught accessing an inappropriate site on the Internet, their computer access will be suspended for two weeks, with multiple violations increasing the length of suspension.
3. Ms Sanchez is an early adopter of technology at Trump Elementary School and has managed to acquire 20 iPads for her 4th grade classroom through donations and fundraisers. No effort has been made to supply classroom devices for classrooms in the building.
4. The rules for the 1:1 project at Clinton Middle School are that the devices are to be used for "school work only" and both media services (YouTube, Pandora, Netflix etc) and social networking sites (Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter, etc) are blocked by the Internet content filter.
5. A parent e-mails the technology integration specialist demanding that the Planned Parenthood website be blocked at school.
6. Teachers lobby the building tech specialist to purchase a program which allows the remote monitoring of student devices. The cost of the system, which is significant, will be paid with funds that normally pay for full-text databases.
7. The school secretary has created a publicly-accessible website of all students who have overdue books and other materials along with the titles of those materials.
8. A teacher has asked the lab manager for a list of the sites a student has visited during the previous hour to determine if the student is on task, looking for materials related to the research requirement and of a suitable reading level.
9. The district technology director regularly visits classrooms throughout the district, taking photos of students using technology. He tweets these photos out to the public using a school-associated hashtag.
10. The teachers at Sanders HS rely on Turniitin to detect plagiarism without teaching the concept to their students or adjusting research assignments to encourage personalization or application of the research findings.
11. A teacher asks the tech specialist how to download a YouTube video and then add it to his learning management system.
12. The building technician is asked to load licensed software on all computers in a lab for which the district only has a license for 10. The teacher who asks this states that no more than 10 students at any one time will be using the software.
13. The tech specialist in the building when working on a teacher's computer sees in the browser history that the teacher has been doing online shopping using his classroom computer and reports this to the building principal.
14. At a conference, the technology director is invited to dinner by a major computer company who openly solicits the district's business. The cost of the meal and drinks is about $50.00.
15. The local computer store sells Chromebooks for approximately 20% more than a national vendor. The technology director buys from the local company citing better customer service.
16. As an avid environmentalist, a teacher does not allow her students to print any of their digital products, insisting they be share only electronically.
17. The principal gathers input from her parent advisory committee to determine building policies on things like cell phone use, use of computers in the library, and filtering questions. Some teachers object on the grounds that these decisions should be made by professional educators.
18. The curriculum department chair refuses to purchase any online reference materials, stating that all the information students need is free on the Internet.
19. The digital learning specialist refuses to attend the state technology conference stating that all she needs to know about current practices in educational technology can be gained through her Twitter feed.
20. The district decides to implement a reading program as part of an intervention program for struggling students. A classroom teacher who firmly believes that such programs kill the joy of reading refuses to use the program.