Introduction 

With all great power comes great responsibility and as information professionals spanning all arenas of information we have a moral obligation to work from a place of universal ethical and foundational principles for all citizens. It is important to have codified ethical foundations to protect and monitor the profound influence information professionals have over the selection, aggregation, organization, preservation and dissemination of information. 

Statement of Competency

As information professionals it is imperative that we regularly review and understand ethical guidelines set forth by professional organizations such as the American Library Association [ALA], the International Federation of Library Association [IFLA], the Association of College and Research Libraries [ACRL], and the Society of American Archivists [SAA].

The American Library Association has a code of ethics with nine principles, and lists twelve core values of librarianship: access, confidentiality, democracy, diversity, education, intellectual freedom, public good, professionalism, service, social responsibility and sustainability. These themes were interwoven throughout my classes at SJSU, with conversations and discussion posts in INFO 204, combined with INFO 234 analyzing the Library Bill of Rights and privacy policies for patrons, and lessons learned from an internship at the Golden Gate National Park Museum Archive, on the importance of preserving and digitization of oral histories for future access. This competency will be a moral foundation of everything I do in the information field going forward with the understanding that personal convictions might at times be at odds with professional duties and I must strive for and advocate for the intellectual freedom of all.

Theory 

Why Ethics is Important (Foundational Principles):

Ethics is defined by Garner as “a set of principles that guide decision making in a specified setting” which can be personal or shared. Additionally, “principles” are referred to as morals, values or beliefs, and are instilled by environment and upbringing (Garner, 2018, p 367). While these foundational ethical principles might appear absolute from a general standpoint, the many layers of nuanced context, and multiple interpretations of one’s own values and competing values can often lead to ethical dilemmas, or a conflict of personal vs professional values.  We live in a political system grounded in informed citizenry, with polarized politics, rampant misinformation on social media and diverse views on anything and everything. With empathy and respect for all, we must recognize that our personal conscience is deeply tied with our own individual psychology and upbringing and therefore our personal judgments and preferred methodologies will be only one of many. Therefore, we must refer back to the stated principles set forth by professional organizations to act as an unbiased standard. As I go out into the information profession, these defined professional principles will act as a foundation for the future decisions I make in the field. It is not a matter of if library professionals will come up against an ethical dilemma, but when. Consequently, it is imperative that every information professional knows not only their own personal foundations, but also the professional standards of intellectual freedom upon which to base their reasoning and strategically embed these values within their technology and service designs (Jones & Salo, 2018). 

Equitable Access & Preservation

The ALA defines intellectual freedom -the foundation of our democracy- as “the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides free access to all expression of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored.” This definition is the foundation for many library’s service delivery models, going beyond equality/fairness to intentional deliberate strategies to make their information and services accessible to everyone, thus taking into account the varying needs of the whole population (ALA, 2007). These foundational principles also extend to the equitable preservation of narratives and information as one of the stated goals of libraries to preserve and disseminate information.  To do so, libraries must collect the stories and information from all, and not just a few privileged groups (ALA, 2021). To make sure that everyone has access, and that all varieties of stories and inclusive modalities are preserved, libraries are taking intentional steps to limit economic, psychological and physical barriers that might erode processional values (Jones & Salo, 2018). 

Privacy & Confidentiality

The right to privacy is essential to all libraries, and yet creates a paradox in operative practices in that the more data collected on patron usage the better libraries can curate and improve services and collections (Barth & deJong, 2017; Michalak & Rysavy, 2019). The Library Bill of Rights put forth by the ALA states in section VII: “All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information (ALA, 2019).”   Librarians wanting to make informed decisions on things such as hours of operation, resource collections, reference, and learning analytics face controversial, ethical decisions on their collection and analysis of user information (Michalak & Rysavy, 2019). There is also a paradox in the way many users approach the protection of their personal data, some are willing to divulge PII with assumptions that it is the price for utilizing free services which is reinforced by the many free electronic resources outside of libraries. Hence, it is imperative as information professionals to create user centered systems, with uninhibited access, protecting the user’s right to privacy and freedom of inquiry while empowering them to protect their data (Barth & deJong, 2017). 

Conclusion 

The world of information is forever changing, and as such we must rely on ethical foundational principles as a standard to light the ever changing path. Ethical dilemmas are a reality I will face in my life as an information professional, and there are few easy answers, therefore it will be imperative to rely back to these foundational principles to guide me. While ethics, values, morals and beliefs will be forever in debate among intellectuals and philosophical circles, I believe it comes down to self awareness with empathy and respect for all people. As long as I keep these elements in my mind and heart I will have the ethical standards upon which to base a career as an information professional. 

Return to MLIS Index

Next Comp B