Competency A

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

A BOY was stung by a Nettle. He ran home and told his Mother, saying, "Although it hurts me very much, I only touched it gently." "That was just why it stung you," said his Mother. "The next time you touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be soft as silk to your hand, and not in the least hurt you."
Aesop

The moral of this fable is: whatever you do, do it with all your might. The mother is right to teach her son to handle a nettle with bold grasp. If not, he will hurt himself every time he touches it. The same is true with many things in life, especially in the library and information service. A professional needs to do with all his or her might in order to offer best promotion of intellectual freedom. To reach this goal, he or she needs to know well the ethics, values and foundational principles of his or her profession. If not, not only does he or she hurt him/herself, he or she also hurts others. So it is important to articulate them for the purpose of better understanding how he or she best serves as librarian and information professional.

To help librarians and information professionals serve well in their career, the American Library Association (ALA) puts together the Code of Ethics, which clearly reveals eight specific principles to guide ethical decision making. They can be summarized as follows: providing highest level of service, respecting intellectual freedom, protecting user's privacy and confidentiality, respecting intellectual property rights, promoting healthy working relationships among co-workers, avoiding personal gain at the expense of others, separating personal convictions from professional duties, and striving for excellence. It is important that every librarian and information professional should take these eight principles serious and apply them boldly in their service.

As evident from the Code of Ethics, the noblest value in the effort to promote intellectual freedom is to provide highest level of service. It is not by chance that this principle is placed as number one in the code. The ALA must take it into great considerations to crown it top value. For those with customer service experience, it is very competitive to draw customers to their business, and it is even more important to keep them because without customers business would fail. In order to succeed in these two tasks, business has to provide its customers the highest level of service. There is no other choice. The same is true with librarians and information professionals because without patrons using the library, government grants will be cut, and sooner or later, library will be forced to close. For this reason, the ALA specifically emphasizes that highest level of service should include equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses. I have to attest that this noble service is evidenced in my observation when I worked on my class project called Observing Reference Interviews for the LIBR 228-10 course (Advanced Information Resources and Services).

For this project, I went to the Westminster Public Library, which is located at 8180 13th Street, Westminster, CA 92683. It is a branch of Orange County Public Library. I came here a little after 3:00 PM on a regular weekday. The two librarians, Linda and Ann, who worked at the reference desk were very busy with many questions from the high school and junior high students. In my observation, I noticed that they were very courteous to all patrons. Here is part of my report: "Though they were occupied with their works, they never failed to smile or greet those around them. They really made the patrons feel welcome. I certainly felt the same way when I entered. Linda greeted me: 'Good afternoon. How are you?' I felt a warm welcome in her smile." Throughout my entire three hours of observation, Linda and Ann always exhibited professional manner as they served the patrons. At the end of my report, I wrote: "The more I observed the two librarians, the more I recognized that they always had good eyes contact and never made patrons feel unwelcome. Both of the librarians always stopped their work when patrons came to ask for help, and they were always willing to serve. Although both of them were very busy, they were always ready to work with the patrons for as long as necessary. They never expressed any discomfort toward any patron. I did not hear any negative closure like, 'Have you checked the catalogue?' or 'Are you sure you entered your correct ID and Password?'"

I am certain that there are many other professional librarians like Linda and Ann in every library across the nation. They were well trained for their profession, and most importantly they served with loving heart. This is my great learning experience, and it has helped me much in my current work as a receptionist in a medical clinic. I continue to welcome patients with unbiased and courteous attitudes, and the result is evident that they often stop by to give me lunch. To prepare for future service as librarian and information professional, I will continue to uphold this value within me and ingrain it in my personality to serve all patrons at whatever level my service is.

In addition to providing highest level of service, it is important that librarians and information professionals need to strive for excellence in their profession as it is stated clearly in the eighth principle of the Code of Ethics. The ALA encourages that librarians should do that by maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills. It is true that our knowledge and skills need to expand as our technology is constantly evolving. Only twenty years ago, patrons still used card catalogue to search for materials. Now not many people do that. They would go straight to the computers and search. In many instances, people do not need to travel to the library; they can search for materials online right at home. A perfect example is the writing of this e-portfolio. If I were writing this competency 20 years ago, I had to go to a local library to search for material about the ALA and its Code of Ethics. It is fortunate that I can search it online, and within one minute I have all I need to know. Technology will continue to evolve, and librarians need to keep up with it because it will be the main service in the future. In my research paper, "The Future Role of Librarians in an Internet or Digital Library Environment," written for LIBR 200-11 (Information and Society), I stated: "Virtually nothing in our society nowadays is without internet access. It is certain that all agencies, public services, organization, and almost every home have internet access. For this reason the role of librarians ought to change and adapt." As the role changes, the librarians need to expand their knowledge and skills to adapt to the new role. They need to know about the internet technology and online library. There is no excuse for not knowing them because they are a major part of information transmission in our time and in the future. Internet technology is only one example of necessity proving that librarians and information professionals need to expand their knowledge and skills. There are still many other aspects of library service that also require constant learning and training. Failing to do that is the failure to strive for excellence.

The more I discuss the Code of Ethics, the more I am fascinated by it. As I continue to pursue my dream to be part of the library profession, I hold very dearly in my heart that I will provide my patrons with the highest level of service that I can offer. I have been doing that with my current job, and I will continue to that as a librarian. Along with this value, it is my intention to always strive for excellence in my service by keeping my knowledge and skills up-to-date with the world evolving in many ways around me. I am confident that I can do that, and I can see in my imagination now that information seekers are satisfied with my service.

References:

Evidences: