The document outlines the ethical principles of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) which include concern for the public good, promoting equal opportunities and human rights, maintaining impartiality and avoiding bias, respecting privacy and confidentiality, and commitment to continuing professional development. It discusses why ethics are important for information professionals, noting that librarianship is inherently ethical and aims to ensure open access to information. The IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) view on ethics is also presented, emphasizing neutrality, unbiased access, fairness, and professionalism among information workers.

1. Dawn Finch
President CILIP
Children’s Author and Librarian

2. • In general, ethics is the philosophical
examination, from a moral standpoint,
of particular issues activities in private
and public life that are matters of moral
judgment
• Business ethics is a form of applied
ethics or professional ethics that
examines ethical principles and moral
or ethical problems that arise in a
business environment.
Ethical codes are established for those
professional which require a high level of
ethical practice.
What and why?

3. What are our ethical principles?
The conduct of members should be
characterised by the following
general principles and values:
• Concern for the public good in all
professional matters, including
respect for diversity within
society, and the promoting of
equal opportunities and human
rights.

4. What are our ethical principles?
• Concern for the good reputation of the
information profession.
• Commitment to the defence, and the
advancement, of access to information,
ideas and works of the imagination.

5. • Provision of the best
possible service within
available resources.
• Concern for balancing the
needs of actual and
potential users and the
reasonable demands of
employers.

6. • Equitable treatment of all
information users.
• Impartiality, and avoidance
of inappropriate bias, in
acquiring and evaluating
information and in
mediating it to other
information users.
• Respect for confidentiality
and privacy in dealing with
users’ information.

7. • Concern for the
conservation and
preservation of our
information heritage in all
formats.
• Respect for, and
understanding of, the
integrity of information
items and for the
intellectual effort of those
who created them.

8. • Commitment to
maintaining and improving
personal professional
knowledge, development,
skills and competences.
• Respect for the skills and
competences of all others,
whether information
professionals or
information users,
employers or colleagues.

9. • Why is this important?
IFLA view
“The ethical code is offered in the belief that:
Librarianship is, in its very essence, an ethical activity
embodying a value-rich approach to professional work
with information. The need to share ideas and
information has grown more important with the
increasing complexity of society in recent centuries and
this provides a rationale for libraries and the practice of
librarianship.”

10. “The core mission of librarians and other
information workers is to ensure open and
unbiased access to information for all for
personal development, education, cultural
enrichment, leisure, economic activity and
informed participation in and enhancement of
democracy.”
IFLA 2012

11. “Librarians and other information workers are
strictly committed to neutrality and an unbiased
stance regarding collection, access and service.
Neutrality results in the most balanced collection
and the most balanced access to information
achievable.”
IFLA 2012

12. “Librarians and other information workers
should treat each other with fairness and
respect. Librarians and other information
workers should strive to earn a reputation and
status based on their professionalism and ethical
behaviour. They should not compete with
colleagues by the use of unfair methods.”
IFLA 2012

13. Who are we?
• Trusted
• Reliable
• Open
• Informed
• Respectful
• Librarians!

14. Links
• CILIP Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct
http://www.cilip.org.uk/about/ethics
• IFLA Ethical codes for librarians
http://www.ifla.org/news/ifla-code-of-ethics-
for-librarians-and-other-information-workers-
full-version
• ALA – Ethical principles
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/proethics/codeof
ethics/codeethics