Library ethics

The evolution of ethical standards for librarians parallels the development of librarianship as a profession. Our most important professional values have been tested and debated in the course of formulating and adopting our codes of ethics. This book includes historical precedents and current examples of ethical issues facing the profession. It looks broadly at the many arenas in which librarians face ethical choices, helping practitioners identify an ethical dilemma and providing guidance on how to respond, how to separate personal belief from professional responsibility, and how to make exceptions in a principled way. Where appropriate references are included to the codes of ethics of other professions: journalists, booksellers, and lawyers.

• Acknowledgments p. xi
• Introduction p. xiii
• 1 Professionalism, Identity, and Values p. 1
• 2 Service: By Whom p. 27
• 3 Service: For Whom p. 51
• 4 Access: What Information p. 79
• 5 Access: Which Format p. 111
• 6 Conflicts of Interest: Philosophical p. 133
• 7 Conflicts of Interest: Financial p. 159
• 8 Confidentiality p. 183
• 9 Future p. 211
• Library Ethics Timeline p. 219
• Appendix Codes of Ethics p. 225
• American Library Association p. 225
• ALA Code of Ethics for Librarians (1938) p. 226
• ALA Statement on Professional Ethics (1981) p. 228
• ALA Code of Ethics (1995, modified 2008) p. 229
• ALA Library Bill of Rights (1948, 1961, 1980, 1996) p. 230
• American Association of Law Libraries Ethical Principles (1999) p. 231
• Association of College and Research Libraries Code of Ethics for Special Collections Librarians (2003) p. 233
• Medical Library Association Code of Ethics for Health Sciences Librarianship (1994) p. 235
• Society of American Archivists Code of Ethics for Archivists (2005) p. 236
• A Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto (2006) p. 238
• Further Reading p. 239
• Index p. 247