[Publib] Re: Ethics - Was - Jobs and People

[Robert Balliot]

Spinning the thread . . .

My belief is that conditions devaluing the profession are directly related
to library actions and activities
brought about by internal and external forces that undermine the of code
ethics<http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm>
.

Unlike other professions,  ethics are not supported by enforcement.
Librarians often must make
a choice to be ethical or be employed, since there really is no credible
force backing them up.
Judith Krug <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Krug> was there for many of
us dealing with censorship and intellectual freedom. However,
everyday decisions using the path of least resistance steadily erode ethics
and the strength
of the profession.

R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com






On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 7:32 PM, Rob Amend <rob.amend at gmail.com> wrote:

> Unfortunately, I think that two traditions work against us when it comes to
> creating the mystique that other professions have. First, we teach our
> patrons how to do it themselves--how to find a book in the catalog, how to
> locate an article in a  database, how to refine their searches to find what
> they're looking for. If we're showing someone how we did something, it must
> be simple, right? Granted, their eyes may glaze over as they shut this step
> out, but they'll just tell themselves that it was something boring that they
> didn't really need to hear. We don't have a skill set, we just know the
> layout better than they do.
>
> Second, we tend to respect patron privacy by avoiding responsibility for
> their information. We tend to worry that knowing the personal information
> needed to complete a thorough search violates a patron's privacy. So rather
> than having an ethical impulse not to disclose private information, we tend
> to shun it altogether, so as not to be burdened with such a responsibility.
> I know that this is a generalization, but I've seen it pretty consistently
> in practice and in discussion.
>
> So, if I work with a professional who tells me how to do things rather than
> doing things for me, and they're afraid to handle my personal information, I
> may not be inclined to take them too seriously.
>
> Again, these are very broad generalizations. I'm just trying to get into
> the heads of our patrons. There are other aspects of our profession that
> should be more transparent, like what it is we do exactly when we're not on
> the desk.
>
> Rob Amend
> Reference Librarian
> rob.amend at gmail.com
> blog.reftechrob.com
>
>
>   On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 7:04 PM, Hayden, Laura <lhayden at bcgov.net>wrote:
>
>> I like to imagine that we'll be more behind the scenes, organizing
>> information and creating (or helping programmers create) user-friendly
>> interfaces - something like "information administrators." So maybe more
>> required computer science-type courses in library school would be helpful -
>> web design, database design and administration, maybe some *shudder*
>> programming. Since I learned about the informatics program at Indiana
>> University (
>> http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/overview/what_is_informatics.asp) a
>> couple years back, I've figured courses in that field would also help us
>> out.
>>
>> This whole discussion almost - ALMOST - makes me wish I'd been a mechanic
>> or electrician or something, so I don't have to explain all the time WHY I
>> need a master's degree to use Google/point at the restrooms/unfreeze the
>> computers/investigate wet chairs. (As for that last one, it's raining here,
>> thank goodness!)
>>
>> Laura Hayden, MLS, Reference Librarian, Beaufort Branch Library
>> 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC 29902
>> 843.470.6522   lhayden at bcgov.net
>> www.beaufortcountylibrary.org
>> For Learning ~ For Leisure ~ For Life
>>
>> *Opinions are my own and not necessarily those of Beaufort County Library*
>>
>> ________________________________
>>
>>
>
>
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