Information Professionals

articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom;

The foundational principles of information professionals are the code of ethics and the core values of the American Library Association. ALA is the main organization of our professional and leads the field on developing our values and ethics.

As information professionals we are not supposed to question where the moral grey area is and deny materials for certain patrons. Should we give sensitive materials to underage patrons? Yes, it’s good to have morals but the ethics of the profession demand that if a user is seeking out questionable information it is not your job to deny their rights. Your job as a librarian is to provide information wherever possible and not to deny the rights of users to access to this information if they so choose.

If a user is on a computer in the library and is watching porn, that computer faces outwards towards the library and effects what nearby users might not wish to see. In this case the user is not within their rights to view this material. The material they are viewing has an effect on others in the library and therefore interferes with other patrons. Unlike printed material where the content is viewed by only the patron, the material on a computer is very visual and the images on this screen may affect other users who pass by.

Freedom to read in action

At the Victorville California library in 2006, the title Manga: Sixty years of Japanese comics was to be removed from the shelf but the library fought to keep it on the shelf. County Library Collection Development Coordinator Nannette Bricker-Barret said that: “It is the parents’ res...

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Quality vs. Demand paper - Spring 2009, LIBR 200. This paper is an evaluation of the freedom to read act and what it means for information professionals. This assignment outlines a foundational principle of the American Librarian Association and promotes the role of intellectual freedom. Explanations of challenged material and the importance of promoting banned books.

Conclusion

The library bill of rights, code of ethics and the core values, are all topics I should have memorized by now. I got the basics of it over four years of paraprofessional librarianship but as an information professional I should not just consider that enough and should try to memorize the material. If I was placed in the position where I had to defend my profession or my library it would up to me to quote these materials. I consider learning this material to be a top priority for me.