The Ethics Of Librarianship

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the information profession. The series IFLA Publications deals with many of the means through which libraries, information centres, and information professionals worldwide can formulate their goals, exert their influence as a group, protect their interests, and find solutions to global problems.

Ethics and Values in Librarianship: A History addresses the processes of development of library and information sciences, largely but not exclusively in a western context. It focuses on the field’s ethics and values. Here, Wallace Koehler, a leading researcher in the area of information ethics, debunks the prevailing notion that library and information science concepts and ethics have and remain constant. He demonstrates that in almost all areas of practice, this is simply not so. Instead of staying the same, our professional ethics and standards have evolved or shifted in their application as well as in the recognition of those standards by practitioners and users. Some of these changes are of very recent etiology. Topics covered include: · the freedom of expression, · intellectual freedom, · libraries and democracy, · intellectual property, copyright, and fair use and, · professional qualifications and credentialing. Koehler examines the development of and changes to library and information science through practice and the writings of library and information theorists and practitioners from Varro during the reign of Julius Caesar to the present. He documents technological and social changes that have had foundational implications for the information professions and argues that ethical standards may be redefined overtime and new standards may emerge, older precepts and newer ones coexist. Not only a history, this is also one of the few contemporary books suitable for use in foundational courses and courses covering information and library ethics.

A philosophical and practical model for approaching the ethical challenges librarians are facing is provided in this work. The moral value of information is first examined, prompting a rethinking of librarians' understanding of professional neutrality and calling for them to broaden their role as community information specialists. Organizational ethics are next covered; the authors recommend specific management styles and values appropriate to libraries. This is followed by a critical analysis of the culture and tradition of librarianship, showing how the field has reached its current identity and how its history can provide insights for new professional values. Practical recommendations for handling ethical problems in reference service, collection development and Internet access are then presented.

The evolution of ethical standards for librarians parallels the development of librarianship as a profession. Our most important professional values have been tested and debated in the course of formulating and adopting our codes of ethics. This book includes historical precedents and current examples of ethical issues facing the profession. It looks broadly at the many arenas in which librarians face ethical choices, helping practitioners identify an ethical dilemma and providing guidance on how to respond, how to separate personal belief from professional responsibility, and how to make exceptions in a principled way. Where appropriate references are included to the codes of ethics of other professions: journalists, booksellers, and lawyers.

Ethics and Values in Librarianship: A History examines the development of and changes to library and information science through practice and the writings of library and information theorists and practitioners from Varro during the reign of Julius Caesar to the present. It documents technological and social changes that have had foundational implications for the information professions. The author argues that ethical standards may be redefined over time and new standards may emerge, older precepts and newer ones coexist. He also demonstrates that while specific ethical standards never disappear, they are not static. They change both to specific application and in order of emphasis among other standards. For example, Sir Thomas Bodley prohibited the lending of books from the Oxford library to protect the collection from damage and theft. While this early notion of stewardship has given way to service, stewardship nonetheless remains a core principle of the profession. Topics covered include the freedom of expression; intellectual freedom; libraries and democracy; intellectual property, copyright, and fair use; and professional qualifications and credentialing. The book is not only a history, but also suitable for use in foundational courses as well as courses in information and library ethics.

Most librarians believe that they are part of a profession that is service oriented, democratic and nonjudgmental. Implicit in these principles is a core of professional ethics, allowing librarians to make effective, informed choices in matters affecting the library, its patrons and staff.Many of the ethical dilemmas facing the profession are covered here through a series of case studies. The focus is on librarians' relationships with patrons, colleagues, organizations, resources and vendors. Such issues as parental consent, patrons' rights to privacy, union activities, library endorsements, censorship, and many others are covered. Each case study is followed by questions that highlight the particular ethical problem.

In this provocative book, librarianship experts discuss the major ethical and legal impications that reference librarians must take into consideration when handling sensitive inquiries and questions dealing with confidential material.

Over the last few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of papers and journal articles dealing with various ethical issues in librarianship, but only a few books. Information workers find themselves rendering new services and providing new kinds of information without much recourse to universally accepted ethical standards. This work is an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the subject. It promotes the view that as information managers, librarians must join with other professionals to renew a commitment to and interest in ethics. The book deals with such topics as ethics in general, the control of ideas, building collections, acquisitions and cataloging, access services, the reference function, special libraries, research and publication, and intellectual property and copyright. A chapter discusses why ethics matters.