Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of the information professions, and discuss the importance of those principles within that profession
Introduction
As with any profession, the work of Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals is based on an established and followed set of codes and values. “Having a clearly defined ethical code is a hallmark of a true profession” (Garnar, 2022, p.409). These values and ethical codes are established by the American Library Association (ALA) in the Library Bill of Rights (ALA, 2019) and the Library Code of Ethics (ALA, 2021). According to Garnar, ethics is defined as a set of principles that assist LIS professionals in their decision-making processes (Garnar, 2022). It is important for librarians to work from a basis of understanding and agreeing to a shared set of beliefs and values that is central to providing various services (Caldwell-Stone, 2022; Gorman, 2018). The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has interpreted the values in the Library Bill of Rights to provide more direct insight and application for an academic library environment. Academic libraries share many of the same core services and needs as other library settings, but there are some ethical matters that take precedence in this particular setting.
Information Ethics
Access and Privacy
In today’s information age, access to information and maintaining information privacy are at the forefront of what librarians strive to achieve. Libraries can ensure access and privacy through policy making. In academic libraries, for instance, access no longer entails just accessing a library building and finding physical information. It now includes access to the internet, various databases, and computer technology that will allow students to create papers, work on projects, and even take online tests. Many people in various communities do not have home access to this type of information and technology. There is a digital divide here in the United States, and libraries can assist and break this divide to help all library users get the access they need (Jaeger, 2022). With access to information comes the issue of ensuring the privacy of library users. A core value of librarianship and the LIS profession is upholding patron confidentiality and privacy. Many laws and regulations in the United States uphold the right to privacy, and as information professionals on the front lines, librarians follow these guidelines by ensuring both physical and digital information accessed by library users is kept private and confidential. Academic librarians are trained and held accountable to protect user information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and through established policies upholding this core ethic in librarianship (Givens, 2022).
Intellectual Freedom
Intellectual freedom is a core tenant of the LIS profession. While it is not specifically defined in any document, ALA created a broad set of principles through the Code of Ethics and the Bill of Rights that allow for interpretation under various circumstances for the LIS profession (Caldwell-Stone, 2022). Stemming from political and human rights policies created by the United States government, intellectual freedom is the freedom to think or believe and express thoughts and beliefs in unrestricted manners and means (Caldwell-Stone, 2022, p. 475). In libraries, this translates to supporting library users' right to privacy and free expression, preventing censorship of the library collection, and ensuring their right to access all available materials and all points of view (Caldwell-Stone, 2022). Libraries are encouraged to create policies to support intellectual freedom, such as a collection development policy, a reconsideration policy in instances of censorship, an internet use policy for privacy, and a meeting room and study space policy to support the right to free expression.
Equity of Access and Diversity
Equity of access and supporting diversity are core values of librarianship. Eliminating barriers to access to resources, services, and spaces is central to intellectual freedom principles (Caldwell-Stone, 2022). Academic libraries have a duty to ensure equitable access to their services and resources, especially for those in marginalized communities. LIS professionals need to be especially trained in ensuring equitable access, working with their institutions to set policies, meet goals, and ensure student success. However, equity, diversity, and intellectual freedom can be challenging values to uphold together. While ALA has never clearly established neutrality as a value of the field, it has been inferred through the language written in both the Library Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethics. Protecting information, especially those uplifting marginalized communities is an important part of intellectual freedom, and resisting censorship is very important particularly in school and public libraries. The topic of neutrality has caused an ethical dilemma in the LIS profession with two opposing perspectives, which was even brought up in the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting where this topic was a prominent discussion (ALA, 2018). One side believes that following the unwritten rule of neutrality is important to ensure freedom of information and expression, while others feel neutrality was never a possibility by the fact that libraries were established under a western ideal and that intellectual freedom is incompatible with social justice (Caldwell-Stone, 2022, pp. 481-482). Ensuring a diverse collection, uplifting marginalized perspectives, and ensuring equitable access will continue to be core values academic libraries work to achieve, but as with the neutrality debate, many challenges will continue to present themselves.
Real-world Applications
Real-world application of these core principles and values can be a lot more difficult than it seems. The LIS profession has changed dramatically over the past few decades, especially from when core values and ethics were first introduced to the profession. Luckily, ALA has continued to update the Code of Ethics and the Bill of Rights throughout the years. Librarians can create policies and receive training in these areas to ensure compliance with these values. However, not everything will be black and white and when introduced with a realistic situation, these principles only provide us with a framework, it is up to us as professionals to seek guidance and work to understand what is needed to navigate particular situations. Maintaining an understanding of these ethical principles, starting from a place of serving our communities, and working to achieve these goals will set professionals up for success.
Evidence
Info 281 Issue Brief - Libraries Can Never Be Neutral
My first piece of evidence is a research paper titled Libraries Can Never Be Neutral from Info 281 Building a Critical Culture: Information Ethics, Diverse Communities, and Critical Librarianship. In this paper, I analyze the issue of neutrality in the LIS profession, discussing where the thought of neutrality stemmed from, the current stance ALA has taken on this topic, and how this discussion can lead to a way of ensuring an equitable landscape. I specifically analyze the discussion of neutrality around the core values of equity and diversity, with the primary discussion centered around the inability to remain neutral and also promote social justice. In this paper, I propose that ALA officially address this debated topic, dismantle the idea of neutrality, and work to ensure equity and diversity is upheld through the promotion of marginalized perspectives. This paper shows my knowledge and understanding of information ethics in the LIS profession, particularly in regards to ALA’s Code of Ethics and Library Bill of Rights. This paper is a good support on how difficult the debate on neutrality is for librarians to follow in real-life scenarios. My topic in this paper stemmed from an ethical situation that was brought up at the academic library I currently work at, and through research and understanding of these topics I was able to approach the situation with more confidence.
Info 204 Discussion #12 - Intellectual Freedom
My second piece of evidence is a discussion post about intellectual freedom and censorship from Info 204 Information Professions. In this writing, I discuss the concept of intellectual freedom in relation to academic libraries, diversity, and collection development. I discuss the ethical dilemma of personal bias when purchasing or weeding books from the collection, and what policies academic librarians follow when selecting or weeding books from the collection. This discussion shows my knowledge and understanding of the LIS professional value of intellectual freedom and the topic of censorship, particularly in ensuring equal access to information, following the principles established in the Library Bill of Rights. In this writing, I establish how important it is to follow the principles outlined in the Library Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethics when working on collection development, even when confronted with our own personal biases and beliefs.
Info 285 - CITI Certificate of Completion - Ethics Training
My third piece of evidence is a certificate of completion of training from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) for Info 285 Applied Research Methods: Research in Academic Libraries. This training centered around conducting minimal risk research with human subjects. The training gave me knowledge on the regulations that were developed to protect human research subjects, understanding risks to subjects, and understanding the process of ensuring an ethical research process. I learned about the ethical conviction of respecting research persons, how to prioritize research participants’ well-being, how to ensure justice, and additional protections for vulnerable groups. In this course we were creating research proposals that would include using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Learning the ethical practice of human subject research is important in order to ethically create and evaluate research.
Conclusion
Librarians and LIS professionals need to consistently be aware of the ethics and values centered around the profession. As a future academic librarian, I plan to uphold the values established by the American Library Association in the Library Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethics and by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Regardless of personal beliefs or bias, I will ensure that my commitment to student success will be ethically supported by the principles of the profession.
References
American Libraries. (2018, June 1). Are libraries neutral? Highlights from the midwinter president’s program. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/06/01/are-libraries-neutral/
American Library Association. (2019). Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
American Library Association. (2021). 2021 code of ethics. https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics
Association of College & Research Libraries. (2006). Intellectual freedom principles for academic libraries: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/intellectual
Caldwell-Stone, D. (2022). Intellectual freedom. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 471-485). Rowman & Littlefield
Garnar, M. L. (2022). Information ethics. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 407-418). Rowman & Littlefield
Givens, C. L. (2022). Information privacy and cybersecurity. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 456-470). Rowman & Littlefield
Gorman, M. (2018). Professional ethics and values in a changing world. In K. Haycock & M.J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The Portable MLIS. (2nd ed., pp. 29-37). Libraries Unlimited.
Jaeger, P.T. (2022). Information policy. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 399-406). Rowman & Littlefield