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Who’s the Fairest of Us All?

A Comparison of the Influence of the American Library Association Code of Ethics on Academic Librarians and Library Administrators. Who’s the Fairest of Us All?. Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. University of South Carolina Lancaster Society of Library Professionals

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Who’s the Fairest of Us All?

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  1. A Comparison of the Influence of the American Library Association Code of Ethics on Academic Librarians and Library Administrators Who’s the Fairest of Us All? Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. University of South Carolina Lancaster Society of Library Professionals Library and Information Professionals Summit (LIPS) 2012 March 16-17, 2012 Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi Enclave Delhi, India

  2. Why This Study? • Discuss observations of workplace behavior • Take a closer look at data pool (original study: Kendrick and Leaver, 2011) • Better understand the American Library Association Code of Ethics (ALA COE) impact on daily practice of academic librarianship

  3. American Library Association Code of Ethics: A Short Review • 1st discussion about a COE for librarians: Mary Wright Plummer (1903) • 1st unofficial attempt: Bolton’s “Librarian’s canon of ethics” (1909) • ALA Councils discuss COE in 1913 & 1914 • Suggested COE presented to ALA in 1929 • ALA formally proposes a COE in 1938; adopts in 1939. • Four revisions since 1939, current version approved in 2008.

  4. The ALA COE: Concerns • Jury still out: Is librarianship a profession? • Consistent and/or impactful enforcement • Library education: most schools don’t offer ethics courses

  5. Study Participants • ALA-accredited academic librarians • 81% female • 26% working >20 years; 25% working 1-3 years • 50% working in four year public or private colleges & universities • 60% reference librarians; <20% management or administration • Non-managerial (n=207); administrators (n=41)

  6. Results: Familiarity with COE

  7. Results: Agreement with COE Purpose Librarians

  8. Results: Agreement with COE Purpose Administrators

  9. Results: COE and Workplace Behaviors Librarians • 60% observed colleagues engaging in unethical behaviors • Most observed behaviors violated: - patron privacy and confidentiality (28%) - equitable customer service (25%) - collegiality (25%) • Only 23% confessed to their own unethical behaviors • Most self-reported behaviors violated: - patron privacy and confidentiality (10%) - equitable customer service (9%) - conflicts between personal values and institutional mission (6%)

  10. Results: COE and Workplace Behaviors Administrators • 78% observed colleagues engaging in unethical behaviors • Most observed behaviors violated: - patron privacy and confidentiality (39%) - collegiality (39%) - conflicts between personal values and institutional mission (25%) • Only 29% confessed to their own unethical behaviors • 1/3 did not identify what violations they engaged in. • Those who responded violated: - patron privacy and confidentiality (17%) - collegiality (14%) - equitable customer service (10%)

  11. Results: Responses to COE Violations Librarians After observing coworkers’ unethical behavior(s): • 23% talked to violating colleague • 14% told another colleague • 11% reported violation to department head • 25% didn’t do anything After their own unethical behavior(s): • 15% corrected themselves • 14% stated that nothing happened • 3% were confronted by a colleague • 3% told another colleague • 1% talked with a supervisor

  12. Results: Responses to COE Violations Administrators After observing coworker’s unethical behavior(s): • 50% talked to violating colleague • 18% did nothing • 25% engaged in a myriad of other actions (writing up employee, creating policies, changing procedures) After their own unethical behavior(s): • 31% corrected themselves • 14% were addressed by a colleague • 14% stated that nothing happened

  13. Outcomes • Most are familiar with COE, but this has no link to acting ethically at work. • Most violations deal with core LIS values: patron privacy /confidentiality and collegiality. • Lack of agreement on how to enforce COE. • Self-correction is preferred response to self-reported violations – a host of (unhelpful) remedies? • Similarities in responses suggest behaviors are mirrored – more research is needed.

  14. Questions? Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. Faculty Librarian University of South Carolina Lancaster https://kddk.wikispaces.com/

  15. Works Cited Bolton, C.K. (1909). The librarian’s canon of ethics. Public Libraries, 14(6): 203-205. Kendrick, K.D. and E. Leaver. (2011). The impact of the Code of Ethics on workplace behavior in academic libraries. Journal of Information Ethics, 20 (1): 86-112. doi: 10.3172/JIE.20.1.86 Plummer, M.W. (1903). The pros and cons of librarianship. Public Libraries, 8(5): 208-220. Background image credit: Tracy Chou, “Sexy librarian Snow White” decal: http://pinterest.com/pin/65091157083957080/ Red Apple, Inc. logo embellishment: http://valuestream2009.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/apple-logo-red.jpg

  16. Thank You!

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