Competency A

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

Introduction

As the debate in America rages over disinformation, the nature of truth, and the outsized reach of social media to spread information, libraries stand as an island of calm. Libraries have thought long and hard about intellectual freedom, censorship, access, and more. The ALA has guiding principles and written documents to help librarians navigate these issues. The interplay and circular reinforcement between the stated core library values document, The Code of Ethics, The Library Bill of Rights, The Freedom to Read statement, and the Libraries: An American Right document give librarians guardrails to confront these difficult issues. Additionally, as librarians within specific specialties, we can look to our professional organizations who author additional principles documents addressed to these specialties. For example, the American Association of School Librarians produced a Standards Framework that is helpful for librarians working within schools. 

Nowhere is the tangle of these issues and the circular support of multiple ALA documents more evident than when one examines intellectual freedom. Intellectual freedom, a core value, is defined by the ALA as “the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction (American Libraries Association, 2007).” Thus, no points of view can be excluded or censored by libraries. Censorship is the restriction of materials based on the values or opinions of other groups, governments, or even our own personal opinion of the idea. In regards to censorship both the ALA Code of Ethics and the Freedom to Read statement guide the librarian. The ALA’s Code of Ethics explicitly propels the librarian to “distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties” and avoid decisions based on personal bias (American Libraries Association, 2021). The Freedom to Read statement precisely spells out the librarians responsibility in regards to censorship and the often difficult consequences of this stance.  

The Freedom to Read document begins with the bold pronouncement that “The freedom to read is essential to our democracy (American Library Association, 2004).”  The statement concludes with the assertion that ideas that are “repugnant to many persons” are also protected (American Library Association, 2004). In this way, the statement does not shy away from the fact that protecting the right to read can be difficult because it protects everything, even that which we may personally find offensive. Reading the Freedom to Read document is truly inspirational in its courageous stand against censorship of any kind. The pressure on libraries to limit access to materials that certain groups find offensive or controversial is unending. In 2020, the ALA tracked 273 requests for removal of materials nationally but they admit that their report most likely only scratches the surface since surveys show that 82% of removal requests are not reported (American Library Association, n.d.). Materials were highlighted for removal for reasons as vague as “not reflecting the values of our community” and “biased against male students” (American Libraries Association, n.d.). School librarians can feel this pressure acutely as community members and parents seek to impose restrictions on materials they deem inappropriate like LGBTQ+ texts or novels with racial themes. Librarians in these situations can use the Freedom To Read document to buttress their decision to retain controversial materials. 

Similarly, The Libraries: An American Value document highlights the two opposing values of a guardian’s need to guide library use for their children and the library’s need to protect the children’s first amendment right of access to library materials (American Library Association, 1999). It is a fraught dance and school librarians must balance these two rights while making collection development decisions. Reading the inspiring language of The Libraries: An American Value document which recognizes this conflict again grounds the librarian in their decision making.

To fulfill the complete definition of intellectual freedom, librarians are compelled to ensure access to “information from all points of view without restriction (American Libraries Association, 2007)”. This initiative is two fold in that the librarian needs to ensure diverse views are represented and that all, including the most vulnerable communities, have access to these materials. The commitment to diverse viewpoints is found in all major ALA statements.  Again we see the circular nature of library values as access is the first value listed in the Core Values document, the first point in the Code of Ethics, and as point V in The Library Bill of Rights. To ensure diversity in the school library we can build our collections and programming to include underrepresented community views like those of Native American communities, immigrants, those with non neural typical behaviors, and foster youth.

In the current contentious cultural environment librarians are supported by the ALA and other professional library organizations in addressing difficult issues. Documents like the ALA’s Code of Ethics, The Library Bill of Rights, and more inspire and guide librarians as they navigate these difficult decisions.

Competency Development

In my experience at SJSU, most courses included an example of how to apply the values and ethics of librarianship. I started developing this competency starting in INFO 200 where I thought deeply about the ethical implications of which voices were captured when archiving a current event like the 2017 Women’s March. Even classes that seemed to live far from ethical controversy like INFO 240 Information Technology and Tools CSS touched on the core values of librarianship. In this class we discussed how coding decisions impacted individuals using screen readers to access information. Small decisions made in category titles and <alt> tag descriptions could vastly improve the user’s experience and thus access to that information. Access is one of the foundation values of librarianship and as librarians we are obligated to prioritize equitable access for these patrons. 

In INFO 233 we were challenged to develop a policy that was not only useful but also built on the explicit values and ethics of the profession. Our group built a weeding policy that addressed issues of diversity within the collection. I also have been growing my awareness of copyright and intellectual property issues through my participation in online story time during my internship at the Los Gatos Library during the spring of 2020. There was much debate amongst librarians about balancing our commitment to intellectual property and full-filling our need to engage youth online by reading aloud titles during the pandemic. The real world situation showed the full complexity of executing on our library core values in a real world situation. In the end it was decided that we would record our FaceBook Live story time and make it available for only two weeks.

Evidence Description

Info 233 – Weeding Policy and Justification

In this project, our group of five developed a deselection policy for a school media center and supported our choices using the founding principles of school librarians. Using the American Association of School Librarians’ standards framework and the Library Bill of Rights we show how a deselection policy can support the standard of diversity and currency within a collection. Our group worked collaboratively but I contributed the initial introduction, schedule, guidelines, and part of the justification discussion. During editing some of these contributions were moved around and adjusted for clarity. This paper clearly shows how I build Library policy on accepted values in our profession.

Info 287 – BiblioTech Context Book Review

In this book review I review the author’s discussion of why libraries are essential now more than ever. I apply the ALA’s policy that Libraries are an American value. I discuss how libraries are uniquely positioned to address inequality in society and promote access to information for all community members, two founding principles of Librarianship. The robust dialogue shows that I understand the founding principles of Librarianship.

Info 200 – Ethical Issues in the Women’s March

In this paper I directly address the responsibility of librarians to include diverse perspectives in their role as archivists. The paper references the International Federation of Library Associations and the Society of Archivists codes of ethics’ and shows my mastery of Competency A’s requirement to be aware of ethical standards and their application as a foundation of Librarianship. 

Info 233 – The Application of Creative Commons Copy Write Infographic 

I choose this to demonstrate my ability to break down complex copy write policy in such a way that students can understand and apply the concept to their writing. This shows that I understand intellectual property rights and their applications in a real world setting.

Concluding Remarks

One reason clear value and ethics statements are so important is that librarians stand at the center of many ethical decisions that have far reaching repercussions. Small decisions made in regards to cataloging, purchasing, deselection, archiving, and even addressing everyday reference questions can just as easily decrease access to information as increase it. The outsized influence librarians have demand clear ethical guidelines that serve as guardrails for working librarians.  Many founding principles are so important that support for them can be found in multiple documents. For example, the principle of intellectual freedom is referenced explicitly in the ALA’s Freedom to Read document and again in Libraries: An American Value and yet again in the list of core values. The circular nature of this system of standards documents means that librarians can point to multiple standards when challenged.

References

American Library Association. (June 30, 2004). The Freedom to Read Statement. Issues and Advocacy. Intellectual Freedom. Retrieved August 21, 2021, from https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement

American Library Association. (n.d.). Top ten most challenged book lists. Issues and Advocacy. Banned Books. Retrieved August 21, 2021, from https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10&nbsp;

American Library Association. (June 29, 2021). Professional Ethics. Tools, Publications, and Resources. Retrieved August 21, 2021, from https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics

American Library Association. (May 29, 2007). Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A. Issues and Advocacy. Intellectual Freedom. Retrieved August 21, 2021, from https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship/faq

American Library Association. (February 3, 1999). Libraries: An American Value. Issues and Advocacy. Intellectual Freedom. Retrieved August 21, 2001, from https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/americanvalue

Last Updated August 22, 2021 12:16pm