An Ethics Code For The Information Professional

We live and work in interesting times. Attempting to make an "ethically correct" decision is no easier today than it was in years past. Library literature contains so many articles and books which discuss librarians and ethics without evidence that concrete solutions and progress have been achieved. Indeed, Clifford G. Christians wrote in 1991 " Information technology has created communications networks that potentially involve us all in each other's business" . He could have written that statement today.

Moral confusion persists for so many reasons. Information professionals generally report to more than one group. First, there is the employer who may have established organizational operational and ethical guidelines. Secondly, there is the client who could be internal or external to an organization - what consideration should be given to individuals from this group? Thirdly, there are our peers to whom we often look for information, guidance and support. This is a simplification as some clients or the employer may take precedence over another group depending upon the circumstance. In 1991 Robert Hauptman identified these ethical information issues: confidentiality, intellectual freedom, censorship and honesty. More recently, Robert Vaagan named some familiar and some new ethical challenges: " new public management, new technologies and e-users, are making their impact felt in all types of libraries as are digital rights management, commodification of information, privacy, authenticity, confidentiality, censorship, copyright, intellectual property rights, grey literature and electronic filters - not to speak of the impact of GATS and WTO/TRIPS (Trade related aspects of intellectual property rights)"(2005).

In order to answer ethical dilemmas we continue to rely upon our own organization's set of values and our personal set of values. In areas such as information and the challenges named above, these values may not provide any guidance for the information professional. As a lawyer or a doctor has adopted a specific ethical code to support decisions and behavior, an information ethics code could also provide the information professional with additional guidance and support decision-making.

What is an ethics code? According to Chris Bauer of Bauer Ethics Seminars, it is not a set of rules but instead a "reflection of your organization's values." At the June 2008 SLA Ethics Summit held in Seattle, he defined a values statement as "a concise statement of your most persistent and most significant priorities. It tells employees, members and the world what is most important to you and how you can be expected to make decisions and provide service. It also guides employees or members on how best to make a decision in the absence of a known rule" (2008).

SLA is Developing Information Ethics Code

Why now? This is a question that could be rephrased to "Why not now?" We continue to encounter many of the same issues along with some new ones created by our changing technical and social environments. In 2007 Special Libraries Association identified the development of information ethics codes as a key initiative which would support members by offering guidelines to assist decision-making, form professional values and, just as some professions have well-known codes, provide employers, clients and other groups with an understanding of the identity and core values of the information professional community.

SLA has established a process with a number of steps which allow participation from all of its members prior to the creation of an information ethics code. The association began with "an analysis of the ethics codes and guidelines of ten library and information associations" (Information Ethics: SLA's Global Conversation (blog) - Ethics Working Group: Existing Code and recommendations, Feb 28, 2008).Chapters and divisions appointed Information Ethics Ambassadors who, in turn, held local town hall meetings to discuss information ethics. At the Seattle conference, ambassadors and ethics organizers met to discuss feedback from town hall meetings. To further our understanding of some of the ethical issues and challenges, SLA has recently created an Information Ethics Blog where members can share stories and learn from each other - see http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/ethics/. Ethics will also be featured in SLA Connections newsletter.

Eventually, in 2009 SLA Ethics Group will present recommendations for an information ethical code. It is hoped that these values, while not enforceable, will provide members with support for decision-making. To supplement the information ethics code, SLA will present stories from members that may help to explain a value, an issue, and a response to a challenge. In 2009 SLA will launch a Global Information Ethics Day to focus upon the information professional. It is the intention of the organization to promote and underline our role and our ethical values as information professionals and experts.

Ethics do Matter …..

"Ethics matters because it allows us to implement our divergent values in a non-coercive environment. When obligations or commitments clash, we can attempt to solve problems without undue external legal pressure. "(R. Hauptman, 2002).

References

Bauer, C. & Bauer Ethics Seminars. (2007). Values statement basics (SLA Ethics Summit Seattle, Washington- June 2008 handout).

Bauer, C. & Bauer Ethics Seminars. (2008). Why your ethics code stinks (Weekly Ethics Thought).

Christians, C.G. (1991). Information ethics in a complicated age. In F.W. Lancaster (Ed.), Ethics and the librarian . (pp.3-17) Champaign, ILL. : Univ. of Illinois-Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Hauptman, R. (1991). Five assaults on our integrity. In F. W. Lancaster (Ed.), Ethics and the librarian. (pp.83-91). Champaign, ILL. : Univ. of Illinois-Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Hauptman, R. (2002). Ethics and librarianship. Jefferson, NC. : McFarland and Co.

Information Ethics: SLA's Global Conversation (blog). (2008, Feb.28). Ethics Working Group: Existing code and recommendations.

Information Ethics: SLA's Global Conversation (blog). (2008, Feb. 21). Why Info ethics and What's Next - Remarks from the Leadership Summit.

Special Libraries Association. (2007). Ethics Working Group. Study results and recommendations for an ethics code for SLA. Alexandria, Va.: SLA.

Vaagan, R. (2005). The LIS infoethical survival kit. Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly, 38 (1) 5pg.

Susan McConkey is the Business and Economics Librarian at the University of Saskatchewan and the President of the Western Canada Chapter of SLA.

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