This week's readings tackle the difficult area of ethics at the reference desk. Perhaps the small number of pieces (only the ALA Code of Ethics and an 8-page piece by Mark Lenker) could be taken as an indicator of the difficulty and lack of authority about the topic. There are a few journals and plenty of articles dedicated to the subject of librarian and information ethics, but many are address situations and events much larger than the case-by-case struggles of assisting individuals at the reference desk or on the floor.
Libraries are particularly ripe for ethical dilemmas because of the potential power of information and the stance many libraries take towards its freedom and the privacy of their patrons. Librarians, in assisting others, have personal convictions to pit against professional duties that are more explicit and, sometimes, radical than other institutions. In his article, Lenker uses the example of a "more or less clean-cut young man of high school age" asking for information on marijuana cultivation as a question that sets the reference librarian asked to a lot of internal consideration. Should he attempt to learn more about the use to which this information would be put? If he does this, how will this effect his actions? His personal convictions stand, here, at odds with his library's approach to information freedom and patron help, but should he give in to the needs of the patron and his professional obligations or hold some integrity, thereby forcing his own standards onto another? What of the consequences of his actions?
Lenker stresses, toward the end of his article, that we should not resort to oversimplification (e.g. "the REAL question is" this one facet of the larger problem). Easier said than done; as I read through his case study, I found myself thinking "how long is the patron willing to stand there while you debate these difficult points in your head?" Ethics are subjective, complicated and difficult, and only extensive experience can possibly make the decisions easier for each of us individually.
I too wondered how long it would take to debate such questions when you're actually dealing with a patron. Like you said, I suppose experience or extensive consideration of how you would handle such questions prior to being asked are the only ways to make such an ethical decision quickly on the spot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you both. Experience does matter. When a librarian try to make that kind of decisions, he/she need act naturally to make sure the patron won't notice. That is really hard and need practice and real experience.
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