ALA Code of Ethics II and III

I am back working on the revised version of Indispensable Librarian this week and I'll be sharing some things I'd like input on from my brilliant Blue Skunk readers. Last night I began working on the chapter on professional ethics, using a piece I wrote for Carol Simpson's 2003 book Ethics in School Librarianship as the outline. So over the next few days, I'll be looking at each of the eight ALA ethical statements in light of how technology has shaped our decisions.

 

Fishing boats at Rawai Beach, April 2012

ALA Library Code of Ethics Statement II: We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.

As discussed in the last chapter, technology has opened floodgates of information into schools by way of the Internet. Along with marvelous resources on topics of curricular and personal interest, the sewage and dangers of the Internet have become readily available as well. Materials and ideas that had been in the past physically inaccessible to students now can be viewed at the click of mouse button.

The potential of student access to unsavory and possibly unsafe materials on the Internet has made the support of intellectual freedom both more challenging and more important. It is difficult to justify a resource that allows the accidental viewing of graphic sexual acts by second-graders searching for information on “beavers” or communications by a malicious hacker with fellow hackers who encourage the destructive behaviors. Defending unfiltered Internet access seems quite different from defending And Tango Makes Three.

Yet the concept of intellectual freedom as expressed in both ALA’s “Library Bill of Rights” and “Freedom to Read” statements is as relevant to information in electronic formats as it is in print. And as expressed in “Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights”: 

Although the educational level and program of the school necessarily shapes the resources and services of a school library media program, the principles of the Library Bill of Rights apply equally to all libraries, including school library media programs.

While it must be recognized that preventing access to pornographic or unsafe materials is the reason given by those who advocate restricted access to the Internet in schools, there are political motivations behind such attempts to require blocking and monitoring software as well. The fight for intellectual freedom in schools is more important today than ever.

Librarians have the ethical responsibility to help ensure patrons use the Internet in acceptable ways by:

• Helping write and enforce the district’s Acceptable Use Policy
• Developing and teaching the values needed to be self-regulating Internet users
• Supervising student use of computers and other devices with Internet access and making sure all adults who monitor networked devices are knowledgeable about the Internet
• Educating and informing parents and the public about school Internet uses and issues
• Creating a learning environment that promotes the use of the Internet for accomplishing resource-based activities to meet curricular objectives

ALA Library Code of Ethics Statement III: We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.

Privacy issues are a hot-button topic as citizens become more aware of how easily technology can gather, hold and analyze personal data and how increasingly their own online activities can be monitored. As a society, we weigh our individual need for privacy against our need for security and convenience. Schools reflect the societal concerns and the librarian is often placed in a decision-making position regarding privacy issues.

State and national laws are specific about the confidentiality of some forms of student information, including grades, health, and attendance records. State laws that address the confidentiality of library records can be found on ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom website. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that addresses student educational privacy rights. School board policies address student privacy rights and these policies should be in compliance with federal and state laws.

While the librarian needs to be aware of the general laws and board policies regarding student data privacy issues, the ethical choices we must make about giving student library usage information may fall outside the parameters of legally or policy defined “education records.” Circulation records, Internet use histories, and other professional observations generally do not fit the description of an “education record.” State laws referring to library records may not be interpreted as applicable to school library records. (Please remember, I am not a lawyer although I sometimes play one on the Internet.)

Adding complexity to ethical choices that must be made in interpreting the general statement about a library patron’s right to privacy, minors have traditionally been accorded fewer privacy rights than adults. To what extent do we as librarians reveal the information-seeking and reading habits of an individual student to other adults who have a custodial responsibility for the well being of that student? Do I let a child’s parent, teacher, or school counselor know if one of my students has been accessing “how-to” suicide materials on the web? Do I give information to an authority on a child’s Internet use if it appears that the authority is just on a “fishing trip” with little probable cause for needing this data?

There are often legitimate pedagogical reasons to share with a child’s teacher information about that child’s library resource use. Is the child selecting reading materials at a level that allows that child to practice his or her reading skills? Is the child using the online resources to complete a classroom assignment?

While most of us can agree that violating the privacy of our students for our own convenience (displaying overdue lists that link student names with specific materials on the library website, sending such information to parents directly, or blindly supplying information about student reading or browsing habits to any adult who requests such information is unethical, finer guidelines need to be established if we are to act ethically in the broader context of student and school welfare.

I would suggest we ask ourselves as librarians when making decisions about student privacy issues:

• What are my school’s policies and state and federal laws regarding the confidentiality of student information? Have I consulted with and can I expect support from my administration regarding decisions I make regarding student privacy? Is there recourse to the school’s legal counsel regarding difficult or contentious issues?
• What is the legitimate custodial responsibility of the person or group asking for information about a student?
• How accurately and specifically can I provide that information?
• By providing such information is there a reasonable chance the information may prevent some harm to either the individual or to others in the school or community?
• Is there a legitimate pedagogical reason to share student information with a teacher? Am I sharing information about materials that students are using for curricular purposes or for personal use?
• Have I clearly stated to my students what the library guidelines are on the release of personal information? If the computers in the library are or can be remotely monitored, is there a clear statement of that fact readily posted?
• If student activity on a computer is logged, are students aware of this record, how long the log is kept, how the log may be used, and by whom?

As librarians, we of course need to help students be aware of technology issues related to privacy both so that they can protect their own privacy and honor the privacy of others. Students need to understand that businesses and organizations use information to market products, and that information is often gathered electronically, both overtly and covertly. Students need to know that a stranger is a stranger, whether met on the playground or on the Internet and that personal information shared with a stranger may put themselves and their families at risk. Students need to know that schools have the right to search their files when created and stored on school owned computer hardware. Students need to be taught to respect the privacy of others: that because information is displayed on a computer screen doesn't make it public; that information inadvertently left accessible does not mean that it is appropriate to access it.

ALA Code of Ethics I

I am back working on the revised version of Indispensable Librarian this week and I'll be sharing some things I'd like input on from my brilliant Blue Skunk readers. Last night I began working on the chapter on professional ethics, using a piece I wrote for Carol Simpson's 2003 book Ethics in School Librarianship as the outline. So over the next few days, I'll be looking at each of the eight ALA ethical statements in light of how technology has shaped our decisions. 

ALA Library Code of Ethics Statement I: We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.

Information technologies – the automated catalog, electronic databases, and access to the Internet – have allowed even the most humble school library to offer services of which even research libraries could only dream just a couple decades ago. But, our jobs have become increasingly complex as a result.

Resources

School budgeting is a “zero sum” game: there is a finite, and usually inadequate, number of dollars that can be spent by a school district in any one year on the total educational program including class size, basketballs, toilet paper, staff development, and superintendent’s transportation allowance. (See Chapter Eight) What this means is that every dollar spent on technology or library resources is a dollar that cannot be spent for other potentially worthwhile purposes. Ethically, we must spend every dollar in ways that will do the most good for our staff and students, keeping the entire school funding picture in perspective.

As informational resources become available both in print and digital formats, we need to carefully appraise which format best suits curricular purposes and our budgets. Collection development strategies are more important than ever as our scarce resources need to be stretched to cover ever-higher demands. Materials purchased “just in case” or for a “well-rounded collection” that remain untouched by human hands are not just unwisely, but unethically, acquired.

It is ethically irresponsible not to have a budget. Every library needs to have a written, goal-oriented, specific proposed budget. If students are to have access to the resources necessary for an effective educational program, all librarians must accurately inform decision-makers of the cost of those resources. The greater outlays necessary for technology in schools, among other things, makes this more critical than ever.

Policies

The use and abuse of technology resources requires that the librarian must be able to create good policies and rules related to their use. While we are rightfully expected to enforce board-adopted policies such as the Acceptable Use Policy, each individual library has its own set of expected rules and consequences for their infractions that are set by the librarian.

Since technology may still be a more or less unfamiliar resource for many adults, our policies tend to be overly harsh in proportion to the importance of the act committed. Too often students lose “Internet privileges” for an entire year or semester for a minor or first infraction of a rule. When formulating consequences for rule or policy infractions, librarians need to:

1. Examine the existing consequences for other similar improper activities. If a student sends a harassing email, for example, the consequences for harassment already in place should apply.
2. Graduate the penalties. Students should not be denied access to the Internet for an extended period of time for a first infraction of the rules. One might ask, “Should a child be banned from reading if he/she was caught reading something inappropriate?” If the inappropriate behavior happens again, the penalties can be increased.
3. Bring parents or guardians, the classroom teacher, and principal in on any ethical use violation.
4. Allow and encourage student personal use the Internet. If the Internet-accessible computers are not being used for curricular purposes, students should be allowed to research topics of personal interest (that are not dangerous or pornographic, of course), use social networking sites, or send email to friends. One reason for allowing this is that students are far less likely to risk loss of Internet privileges if it means losing access to things that they enjoy.
5. Make sure all rules are clearly stated, available, taught as part of library orientation, and consistently enforced.
6. Develop school-wide ownership of the rules. Having a site-based leadership team or library advisory committee that helps set the rules of technology for a school keeps the librarian from having to be the “heavy” and results in rules that more accurately reflect the culture of the school.

Access

The librarian has an ethical duty to advocate for liberal access to digital resources for all students in a school. Home access and public library access to information technologies alone will not close the digital divide. This means serving on building technology teams and advocating for:

1. Access to technology for all students. Too often technologies have been acquired and sequestered by certain departments, grade levels or individual teachers within schools. Librarians need voice the need for access to information technologies that are available before, during, and after school hours. Our “whole-school” view puts us in a unique position of knowing which children are getting technology skills and access in our buildings.
   Adaptive technologies have made more resources available to the physically challenged than ever before. The librarian needs to be the voice for awareness and adoption of such technologies. We also need to help schools understand and be in compliance with ADA regulations such as the mandate that all school web pages be machine-readable by providing alternate text descriptions of all visuals.
2. The least restrictive use of information technologies. The pursuit of information by students to meet personal needs should be encouraged in schools. Life-long learning strategies, practice in information evaluation, and experiences in building effective communication strategies are all reinforced when students use information technologies to meet personal goals.
   As librarians, we need to be liberal in regard to what students are doing with the Internet in our libraries. The Internet has vast resources that are not directly related to the curriculum but are of high interest to students at all grade levels. Information about sports, fashion, movies, games, celebrities, and music in bright and exciting formats abounds.
   The use of the Internet for class work of course must be given priority, but computer access should never go unused. And there are some good reasons to allow students personal use of the Internet:

•  
  • It gives kids a chance to practice skills. After all that’s why we have “recreational” reading materials in our libraries. Do we really subscribe to Hot Rod or Seventeen because they’re used for research? If we want kids who can do an effective Internet search, read fluently, and love to learn, does it make much difference if they are learning by finding and reading web pages on the Civil War or Civil War games?
  • It gives weight to the penalty of having Internet access taken away. The penalty for misuse of the Internet is often a suspension of Internet use privileges. As a student, if I were restricted to only school work uses of the Internet and had my Internet rights revoked, I’d pretty much say, “So what?” and wonder what I had to do to get my textbooks taken away as well. But if I am accustomed to using the Internet each morning before school to check on how my favorite sports team was faring, the loss of Internet access as a consequence of misbehavior would be far more serious.
  • It makes the library media center a place kids want to be. Many of our students love the library for the simple reason that it is often the only place that allows them to read books of personal interest, work on projects that are meaningful, and explore interests that fall outside the curriculum in an atmosphere of relative freedom. Kids need a place like that, and we should provide it – even at the Internet terminals. (See Chapter Nine.)

3. The greatest range of electronic resources. E-mail, social networking sites, and other Web 2.0 tools are often banned by schools, fearing their misuse by students. Yet such resources can put learners in touch with one of the best primary resources – the human expert. The ability to access sound and video and games is also often banned, even when there is demonstrated instructional need.

Accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests

One of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons has Calvin on the phone asking, if the library has any books on “why girls are so weird.” Frustrated when his need goes unmet, he concludes: “I'll bet the library just doesn't want anyone to know.” For some requests it is genuinely difficult to give an “accurate, unbiased and courteous” response.

Anyone who has worked with children and young adults knows that they have probably as wide a range of interests and information needs as adults. While giving priority to requests for help meet academic needs, we need to honor all information requests, keeping in mind that we do have a responsibility for providing guidance to our young charges as well. Personal interests can motivate reluctant readers to read, reluctant technology users to use the Internet, and library-shy students to use our resources.

And I sincerely hope we never forget that courtesy is a part of our ethical code. Opinions about libraries and librarians are formed at a young age and are often life-long. The kids we serve today will be our school board members and legislators of tomorrow.

Technology, school librarians, and the ALA Code of Ethics

Evening lights at Friendship Beach, April 2012

I am back working on the revised version of Indispensable Librarian this week and I'll be sharing some things I'd like input on from my brilliant Blue Skunk readers. Last night I began working on the chapter on professional ethics, using a piece I wrote for Carol Simpson's 2003 book Ethics in School Librarianship as the outline. So over the next few days, I'll be looking at each of the eight ALA ethical statements in light of how technology has shaped our decisions.

As I read the opinions of Buffy Hamilton and Linda Braun about whether librarianship as a field is simply morphing into tech support specialist, ethical practice was foremost in my mind. While I see the transition as perhaps inevitable, I want the new library/tech position to retain the values that are at librarianship'score. As technology specialists seem to be taking an increasingly large bite of what were once library jobs, (Jeff Utecht did  a very good job at the EARCOS conference talking about effective search and information evaluation skills), I get concerned that these values may be lost.

How has technology impacted the ethical practice of librarians?
At a workshop on technology ethics for students, I was (to put it mildly) surprised when one of the thoughtful, lively school librarians attending revealed that she did not realize that one should not publicly post lists that linked student names and titles of overdue materials. It seemed to me to be an issue that was, as our students put it, a “no-brainer” – librarians have an ethical duty to protect the privacy of their patrons. But apparently it is not.

The sweeping impact that information technologies have had on school library programs suggests that we continually revisit the American Library Association’s “Code of Ethics” as technologies change. We have accepted as part of our mission and charge the ethical education of our students and, to some degree, our fellow educators and parents. But in order for us to do this with understanding and without hypocrisy, we need to look at the ethics of our own professional practice as it relates to use of information technologies.

While it is impossible to visit every ethical issue that technology touches, this chapter deals with those are the most significant or most confusing for the practitioner. We need a continuing dialog in our profession about our own ethical practices. A reexamination of the ALA’s “Code of Ethics” is a beginning.

Code of Ethics of the American Library Association

One of things that makes a profession, a profession is that it has a written code of ethical practice. ALA’s code for librarians has been around since 1930 and is revised on a regular basis. As of this writing, it was last changed in 2008.

While the Code doesn’t get down to specific cases, it does provide a “broad framework” for guiding the day-to-day, often confusing, often controversial, decisions librarians, including school librarians, make. To be perfectly honest, it takes a brave, values-driven practitioner to follow this Code. But it is what makes us unique and invaluable as a profession.

1. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.
2. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.
3. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.
4. We respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders.
5. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.
6. We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.
7. We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.
8. We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.

Adopted at the 1939 Midwinter Meeting by the ALA Council; amended June 30, 1981; June 28, 1995; and January 22, 2008. 

            Let’s look at each of the eight statement in light of how technology decisions need to be made.