Ethics

Core professional values in academic librarianship are articulated through documents produced by professional organizations. These foundational texts, such as the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics, serve as guidelines for librarians navigating difficult situations. More specialized branches, like the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL), provide additional tailored guidance, such as the Statement on Academic Freedom. According to Garnar (2022), the first step in addressing an ethical dilemma is to “determine what principles are in conflict” (p. 410). Consulting shared professional values via these documents can help clarify the principles at play. In addition, Mooradian (2018) suggests other strategies that can be employed, including consulting others’ documented accounts or analyses, seeking advice from trusted peers or mentors, using ethical decision-making procedures, researching, and deliberating about the dilemma at hand. 

While librarians have a duty to uphold and engage with all of these core values, access, equity, intellectual freedom, and neutrality are particularly relevant at present.

Access & Equity

One of the core values articulated by the ALA and IFLA is the equitable and free access to information (ALA, 1939; IFLA, 2012). For many in the profession, access to knowledge isn’t just a value, but rather a basic human right (Joseph, 2022). Academic libraries can support this value in several ways, including through advocating for and employing initiatives like open access, open science and open educational resources (OER). Due to systemic and historical barriers present in our society, not everyone is able to reach their full academic potential; these initiatives seek to level the playing field. For example, open science seeks to expand access to knowledge through open licensing, public domain contributions and collaborative creation of science research (UNESCO, 2021). In a similar vein, OERs lower costs associated with traditional textbooks through the creation of alternative, freely accessible, open licensed educational materials. By removing financial and legal barriers, academic libraries play an important role in promoting not only educational equity but also global knowledge exchange. 

Intellectual Freedom

Intellectual freedom is another core professional value emphasized by both the ALA and IFLA Code of Ethics (ALA, 1939; IFLA, 2012). This is more than just the ability to speak one’s mind without fear of persecution, Caldwell-Stone (2022) argues that intellectual freedom underscores an individual’s autonomy to think, make choices, and ultimately understand life in their own way.  Academic freedom is an associated idea that’s upheld by the ACRL; they oppose limitations of free expression of ideas as that open exchange of differing viewpoints is a key component of academic activities (ACRL, 2015). In practice, academic librarians uphold intellectual and academic freedom by curating inclusive and diverse collections and pushing back against book bans. Libraries play a crucial role in the fight to resist censorship, especially as they face increased political pressure.

A note on Neutrality & Recent Dilemmas

Garner (2022) highlights a growing ethical tension that’s arisen in recent years between the value of staying neutral and the need to provide access in a politically divisive environment. This contradiction has only gotten worse since then, as demonstrated by recent actions taken by the current U.S. executive administration such as the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the deportations of Green Card holders who’ve protested recent U.S. foreign activities. In such a climate, professional neutrality may have its limits, particularly when one side actively seeks to undermine the foundations of the LIS profession.

Evidence

Info 204: Information Professions – Ethics Case Studies Discussion

The first piece of evidence that highlights my comprehension of competency A is a discussion post regarding ethics case studies (compA_ethicsDis_info204.pdf). For this discussion our class read two case studies detailing ethical dilemmas that occurred in library settings. Our responses needed to examine possible solutions for one of the case studies. The case study I chose to examine deals with a cultural misalignment between a public library and some of their patrons; where in the library’s mission to provide inclusive spaces and access to diverse materials are being attacked by right-wing activists in the town via the stealing of books and threats made to staff. 

At the time of the discussion, I explored two options that could allow the library to continue providing the materials in question by either not engaging with the activists or attempting to do additional community outreach and education. While this may not be the advice I would currently give to someone facing similar issues in today’s political climate, the post acknowledges how real world ethical issues can be quite complex. It looks at the library’s own guiding materials (i.e. their values and mission statements) as well as considers a wider context by reviewing the ALA Professional Code of Ethics. It’s critical that librarians are able to fight against a public that may push for censorship while being able to properly assess risks to minority community members and staff. 

Info 246: Advanced Information Tech Tools: Data Mining – Data Mining Ethics Discussion

The next piece of evidence that shows my understanding of competency A is a discussion post regarding ethical concerns involved with data mining (compA_ethcisDis_info284.pdf). In this particular discussion, I was paired up with three other students in the class; each of our posts looked at different aspects related to data mining in information settings. My post outlines two of the larger ethical issues associated with data mining. First, for libraries that collect and use personal patron data to understand their needs and preferences, it’s essential that personal and identifying data be securely housed and handled properly to ensure patron privacy. Second, for academic and research libraries that provide data mining support during research, the copyright and intellectual property rights of the materials being subjected to data mining must be carefully reviewed. 

This piece of evidence showcases my understanding that ethics are an integral and often overlooked aspect of technology systems; any aspect of service where a human is affected can have ethical ramifications, especially in those instances where we don’t see the human being affected as often is the case with technological applications.

Info 285: Research Methods: Literature Review – IRB Certification

When working with human subjects it’s essential to protect their identity from invasion of privacy, to inform them of any potential risks associated with the study, keep their confidentiality, and clear your research procedures with your institution’s review board before research can begin. This knowledge is important not only for individuals undertaking research but also those who learn from research as these are the base-line of ethical research in our current system.  This certificate demonstrates my understanding of these concepts and proves that I passed this course. 

Conclusion

Entering into this field in this political climate is honestly a bit scary. Last semester as I was going through my studies and considering ethical issues I could tell that I had started to move towards that “professional neutrality” that is upheld, but I don’t know if that’s an acceptable stance at this point. Nevertheless to say, this is going to be a truly vital competency to consider going forward. 

When I need to consider ethical dilemmas I plan on following the suggestions that I found during writing this, looking for other professionals accounts, finding trusted peers, and hopefully be able to continue engaging with our professional organizations.

References

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2015). Statement on academic freedom. Retrieved February 1, 2025, from https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/academicfreedom 

American Library Association. (2021). Code of ethics. Retrieved February 1, 2025, from https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics

Caldwell-Stone, D. (2022). Intellectual freedom. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today (3rd ed., pp. 471-485). Rowman & Littlefield.

Garnar, M. L. (2022). Information ethics. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today (3rd ed., pp. 407-418). Rowman & Littlefield.

International Federation of Library Associations. (2012). Code of ethics for librarians and other information workers. February 1, 2025, from https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/1850 

Joseph H. (2022). Open access. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today (3rd ed., pp. 444-455). Rowman & Littlefield.

Mooradian, N. (2018). Ethics for records and information management. ALA Neal-Schuman.

UNESCO. (2021). UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. https://www.unesco.org/en/open-science