Our Professional Ethics
We didn't decide to formally sort things out in this country until quite late in the scheme of things. 1939 saw our first approved, polished Code of Ethics. This code is the code I work by.For an excellent overview of different Codes of Ethics both from our own ALA and other international organisations, do read the relevant section of A Handbook of Ethical Practice. I can't recommend that book highly enough to any of you and *plug* I will ILL it to any of you upon request.
Our Our Current Code of Ethics is much more condensed than the original, which I personally feel is to our collective detriment. In seeking to broaden the language to fit all situations and modernise the Code, I hold that too much of the meat left with the fat. In particular, I have a serious problem with item IV as current copyright conventions stand. It is a very solid Code in concept, but I feel it serves us poorly as it is applied in the real world.
Truly, if one visits all of the Codes, (and this is particularly true to me if one visits other Nation's Codes) one might arrive at the conclusion I rather bullheadedly cling to. Historically, our Code used to acknowledge that Librarians were people at the end of the day, and the diction reflected that. I realise that the current one does have language addressing the individual, but I feel the tone has morphed over time.
That is to say, the difference in our Present Code and those Past is rather to me like the difference between a U.S. Law and a U.N. Resolution. The UN suggests a course of action; there is an air of mandate, and justifiably so to the former. However, when applied to people, I feel that it demands too much of a deontological ethicist, and maybe even of other flavours of practitioner. I also willingly cede that I overthink such petty topics.
Background image swiped from Paul Bourke "Texture, colour"
He retains rights, but you can read his copyright stuff here.
http://local.wasp.uwa.edu.au/~pbourke/texture_colour
Casanova picture swiped from Wikipedia.org
Back to the Ethics Home
Previous | Next
