Statement of Competency A
Articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom.
Democratic rights have been challenged in libraries from the Sedition Act of 1918 to Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. The ethics, values and principles promoted by library professionals have evolved over the decades in response to actions levied against these rights. As outlined by the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics librarians are charged with the promotion of intellectual freedom, equity of access and privacy. Most factions of the library profession promote principles similar to the ALA. The Society of American Archivist (SAA) and the ALA division Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) follow similar doctrine. The SAA Code of Ethics for Archivists upholds access and calls for archivists to perform their work without personal bias or retaining items for personal financial gain. RUSA provides guidelines for librarians to follow in terms of behavior, collection development and other routine activities. Whether treating patrons with professionalism, protecting patron rights or weeding stacks these tenants should be at the core of decision-making for librarians and archivists.
The key document that provides foundational principles to library and information professionals was published in 1948 by the ALA as The Library Bill of Rights. Since then, the association has published documents detailing its stance on intellectual freedom and other core declarations. In the evidence Ramifications of National Security in Public Libraries, I examine government interaction in library settings from the Espionage Act of 1917 to the USA PATRIOT Act and the response to each by the library community. The essay details how the ALA fought throughout history to fight censorship and provide privacy and intellectual freedom for library patrons.
Promotion of intellectual freedom by library professionals is not only challenged by the government, but also by the public and in some instances the librarians themselves. An essay from LIBR 266 (Collection Management) entitled Collection Development Policies and Censorship explores how well intellectual freedom statements in a collection development policy hold up in light of a challenge. The essay also elaborates on librarians as self-censors. Fourie and Dowell (2002) effectively illustrate the duty of a librarian as having "a professional responsibility to be inclusive, not exclusive, in their collection development to refrain from withholding topics because of their own personal stance on an issue" (p. 108). This statement is in regards to selection verses censorship of collections development. As libraries face challenges to literature and other materials, intellectual freedom and reconsideration caveats are necessary to include in a library’s policy. This assignment enlightened me how groups like the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) fight to protect First Amendment rights for libraries. ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Manual and the Workbook for Selection Policy Writing also ensure library professionals are given guidelines to protect intellectual freedom via written policy.
Article IV of the ALA Code of Ethics (2006) states, “We respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders” (para. 8). In order to protect these rights librarians and archivists must maintain a familiarity with the newest copyright and intellectual property laws. These laws can often become hazy especially in dealing with orphaned works and the proliferation of digital asset management. The submitted evidence, Copyright Analysis, is an explanation of the copyright rules for personal letters, books and photographs. Detailed analysis is given for a given situation based on literature from Cornell University and other professional publications. The assignment includes feedback from instructor Robin Dale confirming my copyright analysis as correct. A strong knowledge of copyright law will enable me to uphold the aforementioned tenant of the ALA Code of Ethics.
The final piece of evidence submitted is a photo that demonstrates my personal mission to promote intellectual freedom. In my first semester of the SJSU SLIS program, I attended LISSTEN’s annual Banned Books Week Read-a-Thon. I found this event so important that I volunteered to chair the event for the past two years. The purpose of this event is to educate the public on intellectual freedom and to celebrate the Freedom to Read as promoted by the ALA. The event includes readings from books that have been challenged, activities and literature that hopes to enlighten the public of this ongoing risk to First Amendment rights.
From right: Nora Gonzalez-Pineda, Heather Fucinari, Brenda Ramirez, Marisa Reyes.
References
American Library Association (ALA). (2006, July 07). Code of ethics. Retrieved March 17, 2008 from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm
Dowell, David R. & Fourie, Denise K. (2002) Libraries in the Information Age: An introduction and Career Exploration. Greenwood Village, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Society of American Archivists (SAA). (2005, February 05). Appendix K: Code of ethics. Retrieved March 17, 2009 from http://www.archivists.org/governance/handbook/app_ethics.asp