Ethics, Values, and Organizational Settings in Librarianship

Introduction to Ethics in Librarianship

Library science and librarianship as a profession are guided by ethics that help shape professional practice and direct librarians toward effective service to users on a daily basis. Just like any other profession, there are codes of conduct and modes of operation that define librarianship, making it relevant to the services it provides and the people who use them.

Across the world, librarians are aware of the enormous task they face in ensuring that readers have access to information, books, and other relevant materials — both within and outside the library setting. In order to regulate the access and dissemination of this information, guiding ethics, values, and principles help librarians worldwide carry out their duties professionally. Ethics and librarianship are so intricately connected that it is ethics that give meaning to the profession. This is recognized by more than 60 library associations in their respective countries, with the United States represented by the American Library Association (ALA), which forms the primary basis of discussion in this paper (IFLA, 2017). The international code of ethics for librarians resulted from wide consultations among key players at the global level and acts as a guide to librarians and practitioners of library science in general. The need for a smooth and level operating environment among librarians worldwide gives this draft its broad relevance.

The daily endeavor of professional librarians is to provide intellectual freedom — well beyond the mere provision of books — and this can only happen when the essential conditions are met through fidelity to professional ethics. The American Library Association (ALA) provides one of the best models of access to library materials while also upholding some of the most comprehensive guiding ethics in the world. Ethical codes across various disciplines are typically established for professions that require a high level of ethical practice. The ALA remains faithful to the doctrine of intellectual freedom as well as freedom of access to information, serving an informed citizenry within a complex political environment.

Core Ethical Obligations of Librarians

As a librarian, intellectual freedom and guiding ethics must go hand in hand. A librarian is expected to provide equitable access, courteous responses to requests, useful and organized resources, and accurate and unbiased access to information. Ethics also demand that a librarian uphold intellectual freedom and avoid any attempt to censor library resources.

There is also a need to keep the library user's interests central and to ensure the right to privacy of each user. Confidentiality must be maintained with regard to the information sought and/or received by users, as well as the resources they use, borrow, acquire, or transmit. It is the cardinal duty of the librarian to ensure these matters remain confidential.

Ethics in librarianship also concern intellectual property rights. The librarian must respect this fundamental legal and professional principle and ensure a proper balance between the interests of information users and the rights of information holders. The IFLA Professional Codes of Ethics for Librarians address this balance at the international level.

It is also fundamental for librarians to remember that they do not operate in isolation, but in close association with colleagues and established systems. As a core professional value, respect for others is essential — treating co-workers with fairness, good faith, and respect, while advocating for conditions that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees within the institutions they serve.

In keeping with the interests of users, librarians must not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or the institutions that employ them. There is a need to clearly distinguish between personal convictions and professional responsibilities. Personal beliefs should not interfere with the balanced pursuit or representation of the institution's mission, nor with the provision of equitable access to information resources.

The librarian, guided by the ethics, values, and core principles of librarianship and information science, will always strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining their own knowledge base and skills, supporting the professional development of colleagues, and strengthening the aspirations of those entering library science as a career.

Organizational Environments of Libraries

Libraries, like other institutions found within the community, are designed to provide requisite information to users in line with those users' needs and within the capacity of the library to deliver. They are fundamentally service organizations, and the way they operate is shaped by the environment within which they function and the needs of their particular user base. This means that a library, as a service provider, will only remain relevant and thrive if it embraces the environment within which it operates (Walter, 2008).

Library science as a discipline recognizes three distinct environments within which librarians operate, each with different players and influencing factors. The first is the internal library environment. This is the environment over which managers have significant influence and should maintain good control for the library to function optimally. Academic libraries are a prime example: they do not have entirely independent purposes, as their functions depend on the larger academic institution within which the library is situated. Their primary purpose is to serve students and faculty, with limited services sometimes extended to the surrounding community. The mission of an academic library is significantly shaped by the parent institution, whose management makes decisions that define the library's mode of operation and general environment. The librarian also plays a meaningful role in the formulation and implementation of policies. It is worth noting that the organizational environment of academic libraries is not necessarily confined to the parent university — it may also be influenced by factors such as professional associations, academic networks, library consortia, and, for public universities, the broader community.

The second environment is the parent organizational environment, over which the librarian may have little or no influence. Public libraries are a good example of this type. Unlike academic libraries, public libraries are not tied to a specific institution; they exist to serve the needs and interests of the communities in which they are located. Their collections, services, and operational policies typically reflect the priorities of local boards of directors and local communities. Because their funding depends on voters and they report to city government, the mission of public libraries extends well beyond the internal library environment. No single librarian or management team can independently shape the environment within which such libraries operate.

The third environment is one that extends beyond the parent institution, and over which almost no individual stakeholder has control. This category covers special libraries — those established to meet the needs of specific organizations — including law libraries, medical libraries, and corporate libraries, among many others. The policies governing their daily operations are shaped by parent organizations, and neither the librarian nor the management team can meaningfully influence their broader operational environment. Donors and financiers of such libraries often dictate the conditions under which these libraries must operate in order to continue receiving funding. Their continued financial support typically depends on sustained use by professionals in the relevant field; if usage declines, financiers may withdraw funding and the libraries may close (Watkins, 2010). Exploring the diversity of library types and their organizational structures helps illustrate how varied these environments can be.

Conclusion

These three tiers of environments within which libraries operate all require close monitoring in order for any library to be successful. Despite the environment in which a given library functions, the careful regulation of influencing factors and the thoughtful development of operational policies are essential to ensuring that libraries fulfill their intended purposes and serve their communities effectively.

References

IFLA. (2017). Professional codes of ethics for librarians. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from https://www.ifla.org/faife/professional-codes-of-ethics-for-librarians

Walter, S. (2008, October 1). The library as ecosystem. Library Journal, 133(16), 28–31. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2008/10/academic-libraries/the-library-as-ecosystem/

Watkins, W. (2010). Describe and compare the organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from