Professional Values Statement

My Professional Values

“I can not do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do.”

- Helen Keller 

Ideologies I Value in My Profession

I.                   Keep a Positive Attitude

My mother always told me, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”  As Ranganathan put it, “Customer loveth a cheerful assistant.”  In his first law: Books are for use, Ranganathan discusses something that really resonated with me.  He believed library staff were the most important element in a library’s success (Ranganathan, 1963).  I believe this can be applied to almost any professional setting when serving public needs.  A teacher who teaches with passion and zeal has a much stronger impact on her students than one who lacks a joyful disposition.    Just as a social worker entering into a hostile situation can bring a sense of hope through a positive outlook rather than one of dismay. According to Rubin, people usually prefer personal rather than institutional sources for gathering information.  While I believe it to be true, I also find it worrisome that “people seldom see librarians as a source of information” (Rubin, 2004). I believe that with a positive attitude towards our patrons we can put this misconception in the past.   I think we must advertise our knowledge and willingness to assist, so that those in need find us easily approachable.    

II.                Commitment to Information Needs

I believe when we are committed to information needs, we will make a difference in the lives of our students.  Anyone who has worked with the public knows that it is not always easy.  Regarding our profession another point that Ranganathan makes, is that in order to be successful, we must have the tolerance and intellect to study and work with difficult people (Ranganathan, 1963).  Similarly, Donald Case talks about the trouble with information needs.  “Observing an information need is problematic because it exists in one’s head and must be inferred by an interested observer while a search is in process or after it has taken place” (Case, 2012).  As a librarian, I think it is important to be committed to students and the needs “in their heads.”  The people who bring challenges often bring rewards in the end through a sense of validation and achievement.  I believe we must do our best to remain “interested” in observing the needs of all those we serve, and this takes commitment. 

III.             Remain Unbiased and Impartial with Patrons

When working in the library profession it is important to be a neutral person whom is approachable for guidance.  If a patron senses that they will be judged, they more than likely will avoid interacting with a librarian out of fear or intimidation thus possibly not finding the information they need.  It is important for us as librarians to try our best to understand the needs of our patrons.  “Librarians must exclude their own moral judgment from one’s work in order to serve clienteles” (Cain, 2006).  It is important to remember that “the goal of libraries is to provide data that becomes information, that increases knowledge, that results in wisdom to benefit society!” (Rubin, 2004).  Furthermore, in order to uphold a valuable collection of information resources, we must provide various materials which are suitable to all, despite our own subjective opinions.  I personally value this idea because I believe it is diversity which makes for a rich society.

IV.              Commitment to Respecting Individuals

Respecting individuals is not only a personal value of mine, but an ethical guide for professionals in Library and Information Studies.  It is a value that I believe to be of utmost importance.  I appreciated Richard Severson’s four principals with regards to respecting individuals:  respect intellectual property, respect privacy, fair representation, and non-malfeasance (Severson, 1997).  In the library profession, at times we have access to individuals’ most intimate thoughts through their information needs.  Respecting this privacy of the individual is mandatory as a professional.  Applied ethics ensures our actions do not violate the values of others.      

V.                 Commitment to Literacy and Learning

After reading W.C. Berwick Sayers’ Introduction to Ranganathan’s The Five Laws of Library Science, I found it pertinent to apply a commitment to literacy and learning towards my personal career.  I am grateful for the privilege of working in a school library where I can put these ideas to practice with my students as well as a lifelong practice for myself.  “It’s ‘things’ that make us smart” for example, “a book is a cognitive tool, but only for those who can read” (Norman, 1993).  As a school librarian, I am committed to teaching students reading skills so they can experience all that books have to offer.  As a librarian, I will remain committed to providing a collection that can be maximized by all readers.  I will adopt a practice I learned from Asheim with regards to selection and censorship.  I will try to find reasons to keep a book rather than reasons to reject it.  If there is anything good in the book I will do my best to keep it rather than reject it for containing something perceived as “bad.”  I believe a commitment to literacy relies on a vast collection to reach as wide of an audience as possible.  In my commitment to learning I will employ the attitude toward education as being “critical for survival”, as stated by Richard E. Rubin, because I agree with this value wholeheartedly.  

Conclusion

      I chose the quote by Helen Keller because it speaks to my professional values.  While I believe no human can do everything, I know all humans can do something.  As a librarian, it is our job to give individuals the information they need to gain knowledge in the areas they already know as well as the areas they do not yet know.  Richard E. Rubin said “Knowledge applied to benefit humanity is wisdom, and wisdom is the only term imbued with values.”  As a professional, I value all that benefits humanity, which is why I have chosen a career in Library and Information Studies.    

Works Cited

Asheim, L. (1953). Not Censorship But Selection. Wilson Library Bulletin, 63-67.

Babbie, E. (2008). The Basics of Social Research. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.

Cain, C. C. (2006). Librarians and Censorship: The Ethical Imperative. Louisiana Libraries, 68 no 3.

Case, D. O. (2012). Looking for information. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Norman, D. A. (1993). Things that make us smart. Defending human attributes in the age of the machine. Perseus Books.

Ranganathan, S. R. (1963). The Five Laws of Library Science. Bombay, New York: Asia Pub. House.

Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. New York: Neal Schuman Publishers.

Severson, R. W. (1997). The Principles of Information Ethics. New York: M. E. Sharpe.