http://hdl.handle.net/2142/467 Allerton Park Institute Proceedings (no. 31, 1989); Edited by F.W. Lancaster http://hdl.handle.net/2142/605 Teaching professional ethics to students of library and information science White, Herbert S. This is not a paper on historical developments of ethics, better left to individuals far better qualified than the author. Suffice to say that the confusion and difficulty surrounding the topic continues to this day. When newsman Bill Moyers (1989) conducts an in-depth interview with modern-day ethicist Michael Josephson, many pages of eloquent exposition in conversation with one of the brightest interviewers of the day nevertheless leaves one with the impression that Josephson is dealing with interpretations of the golden rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is certainly a useful and valid statement, but it does not really help in more than a very limited sense, e.g., do not murder or do not steal. But does not a librarian give information to individuals who would do with it what the librarian would not? That does not fit nearly as well, and it spotlights the problem that ethical concerns for professionals are not easy and obvious issues. Librarians oppose censorship, but the Library Bill of Rights and the codes of ethics adopted by various American Library Association bodies really state the obvious and solve no problems. Library schools must indeed teach this, but more importantly, they must teach how to make it work. However, professional conflicts fall on more complicated ground. What are librarians' responsibilities to employers, be they corporations, universities, or public agencies? Can these responsibilities be contradictory to those owed to library users? What if the inadequacy of funding or staffing provided by library funding agencies means that librarians are providing inadequate service to them? It is a fascinating characteristic of the professional library literature that librarians worry a great deal about whether or not government documents should be released to the public through the depository library system, and not one whit whether or not anybody can find them in a massive cataloging backlog, assuming the documents are cataloged at all. What is the professional ethical concern in a cataloging backlog; or in a failure to have adequate reference service available; or in the recognition that, while a copy of a book has been purchased, the patron cannot have it because it is charged out and the librarian refuses to borrow another copy? One can see that the issues involving professional ethics are more complicated than they first appear. Librarians --Professional ethics Ethics Library schools Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/604 Feeding the hand that bites you Wessells, Michael B. Practically, it is a waste of energy and poor strategy to engage in warfare before seeking a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution. Ethically, the librarian's code requires that he or she provide "the highest level of personal integrity and competence" (ALA, 1987, p. 244). The prevailing Judeo-Christian atmosphere in Western civilization implores one to love one's enemies if not to convert them to friends, then to heap coals of fire upon their heads. Before taking up cudgels and rushing to the barricades, librarians need to look upon enemies the way they look upon patrons and do what they do best: ascertain the patron's needs despite what may be a hazy representation of those needs, and then meet the needs in the way that makes the patron happiest without compromising one's own integrity. When conflict seems imminent, librarians should be the first to leave the trenches and explore a peaceable solution. Librarians --Professional ethics Ethics Conflict resolution Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/603 Contributors to Ethics and the librarian (Papers presented at the Allerton Park Institute held October 29-31, 1989) Biographical information Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/602 Some ethical questions for consideration and discussion Wengert, Robert G. The final session of this conference, perhaps the highlight of the entire event, was not a formal paper. Professor Wengert facilitated a discussion among participants of some ethical questions he had formulated. The questions had been presented to them at the time of registration, so they had been given the opportunity to consider their stance before the discussion occurred. The questions are reproduced here in the hope that they will be of use to others leading discussions on ethical issues. Before Professor Wengert led the discussion, he introduced some general principles relating to ethics, as follows. Librarians --Professional ethics Ethics Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/601 The FBI creates an awareness of librarian ethics: An opinionated historical review Shields, Gerald R. Such blatant manipulation of the facts by the FBI seems to point to mere justification for a "fishing expedition" and a cynical awareness that the very idea planted in the public mind that the FBI is watching the use of libraries by individuals will have a chilling effect which can help accomplish a reduction in the use of scientific and technical information. The people gathered together at this conference are here to try and determine if it is within their power to inspire a righting of these wrongs, if there is something in their calling as librarians that can inspire them to action. Librarians --Professional ethics Ethics Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/600 The ethics of access: Towards an equal slice of the pie Morrison, Samuel F. Ethics is a system of moral principles and of values relating to the Tightness and wrongness of certain actions. When two diametrically opposed obligations conflict with one another, an ethical dilemma occurs. It is settled only by weighing and evaluating the importance of the conflicting obligations. The moral conviction of a democratic society supportive of freedom of information versus the welfare of that public might well be an example of two opposing obligations. Equal access to information by the people versus the provision of relevant and friendly information is another wordset of potentially opposing obligations. The free library for the good of the public versus quality library services is also a contender. It is not so opposing if one considers the statement of Alphonse Trezza (1986) during his tenure with the National Commission on Library and Information Services (NCLIS): "The commitment to public good requires the library to constantly improve quality of services, the effective use of technology, and the efficiency of the operation" (p. 52). Providing access and fulfilling the needs of the majority versus providing access and fulfilling the needs of the minority is yet another opposing set. If one adds the words "equal opportunity" then the impact of this statement upon the library is significant. Librarians --Professional ethics Ethics Access to information Public libraries Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/599 Introduction to Ethics and the librarian (Papers presented at the Allerton Park Institute held October 29-31, 1989) Lancaster, F.W. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was the catalyst that established the theme for the Twenty-First Allerton Institute, held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Allerton House, October 29-31, 1989. The FBI's Library Awareness Program, if it had any merit, did raise a significant ethical conflict between the librarian's responsibility to preserve the confidentiality surrounding use of library materials and his or her responsibility as a citizen of the United States. The FBI's activities, along with an apparent increase in interest in ethical matters in society as a whole, suggested "professional ethics" as an appropriate theme for a conference of librarians in 1989. Librarians --Professional ethics Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/598 Index to Ethics and the librarian (Papers presented at the Allerton Park Institute held October 29-31, 1989) Index Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/597 Human resources management: Ethics in personnel Heim, Kathleen M. Ethics relating to human resources management in the library and information services profession must be viewed from a more comprehensive ethical stance at the outset. Since this conference is devoted to a wide range of ethical considerations, it seems appropriate to begin this discussion with some deliberation on career choice itself. Librarians --Professional ethics Human resources Ethics Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/2142/596 Five assaults on our integrity Hauptman, Robert Sometimes, discussions of ethics and librarianship emphasize theoretical matters; more often, they are hortatory in nature, citing practical examples in order to inspire actions that will bring glory to the profession. This paper comments on five intellectual concepts confidentiality, intellectual freedom, censorship, honesty, and malpractice by describing some often bizarre cases that have come to the author's attention. Librarians --Professional ethics Ethics Tue, 01 Jan 1991 00:00:00 GMT