Competency A Introduction:
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.
Most information professions share a similar set of values, broadly represented by the American Library Association (ALA, 2021). For example, both the ALA and the Society of American Archivists share the following principles:
- Expanding access and usage of information resources.
- Contribute ideas and resources to scholarship endeavors.
- Developing collections representative of diversity.
- Creating programming to assist in the education and enrichment of others.
Where SAA stands apart however, is the dedication towards transparency in their archival processes, and reduction of environmental harm. This is because artifact selection, restoration, and preservation can be a fraught process that can create harmful byproducts. And so, when considering the foundational principles of an information profession, one must also consider the environment in which it operates.
Although the ALA gives clear ethical guidelines for all libraries to operate under, individual library types can often introduce complicating factors. In this discussion post, I explore some of the ethical concerns that surround the less-common Digital and Special libraries. The main theme of the posting was “Privacy vs. Access”, which compared the two principles of of protecting user privacy versus ensuring access.
Processes that protect one’s privacy in digital spaces, such as passwords and encryption, also restrict access to that information. And this is by design. However, what if that private information is needed by the library for measuring collection use? What if the library contains personally identifiable information? Because digital and special libraries can often exist in the private sphere, information professionals must carefully balance the needs of the organization with the rights of the user.
In this discussion post, we were instructed to take an ethics case study from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and deliberate on what we would do in the provided scenarios. I chose the case study “Religious Discrimination”, which details a conflict between an individual requesting time off last-minute for a religious observance, and the supervisors at the library where this individual is employed.
Ultimately, I felt that there was not enough information available to decide whether or not religious discrimination was taking place with absolute certainty. But that was, perhaps, the point. In real-world scenarios, circumstances are rarely cut-and-dry. Both sides can have valid points but also act in ways that go against proper protocol. In the end, it was a meditation on the messiness of human interactions, and the possible consequences of having to mediate such a situation.
It was also a moment to consider and acknowledge how biases from one’s own background may influence what decisions are made during such dilemmas.
Application and Conclusion
As someone with experience working in both medical and educational establishments, I am very familiar with protecting a patient or student’s privacy. However, a large part of my MLIS journey has been learning that the foundational principles of responsible information science stretches much farther than what I had initially believed.
It is clear to me that library professionals’ dedicated adherence to ethical standards are a major factor in the library’s longevity as an institution, and the amount of trust that they garner. This trust has created a rare position of privilege amongst a worldwide population beset by capitalistic interests. With information being such a huge influence on the world as we know it today, information professionals of all kinds must adopt and protect these foundational principles to ensure the integrity of knowledge and informational institutions both now and in the future.
References
Rberquist. (2021, July 21). Professional ethics. Tools, Publications & Resources. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/tools/node/1577/
SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics. SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics | Society of American Archivists. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics#code_of_ethics