This document discusses the importance of understanding personal values and professional ethics for librarians to address ethical issues effectively. It highlights potential conflicts between personal beliefs and professional obligations, offering resources and strategies for resolving these conflicts. The emphasis is on prioritizing professional ethics while acknowledging personal moral guideposts.

1. Contemporary Issues in Action: Ethics for Librarians
with Dr. E. Hogan
Exploring Personal
Values & Professional
Ethics
by
Kate Gukeisenkategukeisen@hotmail.com

2. PERSONAL MORAL GUIDEPOSTS
In order for librarians to
understand how best to deal with
ethical issues that come up within
the course of our professional
lives, we must first understand
the lens through which we view
these ethical issues from a
personal standpoint.
Our personal values affect how we
feel about ethical issues, but we
cannot allow them to compromise
our professional ethical
obligations to the members of our
library community.

3. THINK ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL MORAL GUIDEPOSTS

4. RESOURCES TO EXPLORE PERSONAL MORAL GUIDEPOSTS
Carnegie Mellon University, Career & Professional Development Center
MySelf Values Exercise, Adapted from Taproot
https://www.cmu.edu/career/documents/my-career-path-activities/values-exercise.pdf
University of Notre Dame, Well Being at Work
Exploring Your Values
https://wellbeing.nd.edu/assets/169456/valuesexploration.pdf

5. PROFESSIONAL ETHICAL GUIDEPOSTS
Librarians, like other
professionals, have established
guideposts of professional ethics
that are codified in values
statements that serve to
establish expectations and ideals
for librarians, as well as to
provide clarity on complex issues
that affect all stakeholders in a
library community.

6. CONSIDER OUR SHARED PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

7. RESOURCES TO EXPLORE PROFESSIONAL GUIDEPOSTS OF LIBRARIANSHIP
American Library Association
Code of Ethics, Tools Publications, & Resources
http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics
Association for Library Service to Children
Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries
http://www.ala.org/alsc/edcareeers/alsccorecomps
American Association of School Librarians
Governing Documents and Core Values
http://www.ala.org/aasl/about/govern
Young Adult Library Services Association
Core Professional Values for the Teen Services Profession
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/core-professional-values-teen-services-profession

8. When personal moral guideposts and professional ethical
guideposts are out of alignment, conflict occurs. In our
professional role, we must keep professional ethics in the
forefront.
DID YOU FIND ANY OF
YOUR PERSONAL MORAL
VALUES ARE IN CONFLICT
WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL
ETHICAL GUIDEPOSTS?

9. VALUES IN CONFLICT
Personal values and professional
ethics sometimes come into
conflict.

10. EXAMPLES OF CONFLICT BETWEEN PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL VALUES
Personal Political Views vs. Intellectual Freedom
Access for All vs. Intellectual Property Rights
Providing Welcoming Access to All vs. Freedom of Speech
Inclusion vs. Patron Privacy
Free Exchange of Information vs. Copyright
Transparency vs. Patron Privacy
“Truth” and Credibility vs. “Balanced” Neutrality

11. PROFESSIONAL ETHICS SOMETIMES CONFLICT
Sometimes, professional ethics
come into conflict with each
other.

12. EXAMPLES OF CONFLICT BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL VALUES
Equitable Service Policies vs. Intellectual Freedom
Inclusive Space vs. Freedom of Speech
Right of Special Needs Individuals vs. Equitable Access for All
Intellectual Property Rights vs. Access to Information
Unbiased Service to All vs. The Public Good
Mandated Reporter Requirement vs. Patron Privacy
Collection Development vs. Censorship

13. STRATEGIES FOR IDENTIFYING SOLUTIONS
• Reach out to your supervisor and/or
mentor.
• Review professional Core Values
statements.
• Research case studies. This will help
you reflect on the situation and may
offer alternative insights into the
conflict.
• Reach out to your professional learning
community. You will learn how other
librarians dealt with similar situations.
• Review policies at your place of work.
Speak up if you think they don’t address
the issue or if you think they should be
improved.

14. “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.
-Code of Ethics of the American Library Association
Principle VII
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