Three Pillars of My Librarianship Practice
1. RESISTING CENSORSHIP
Core Values: Intellectual freedom, Confidentiality/Privacy, Democracy
Code of Ethics:
2. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.
3. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.
6. We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.
I explored the many facets of intellectual freedom and censorship resistance while taking the courses Foundations of Library and Information Studies, Information Access and Policy, and History of Libraries and Librarianship. In Foundations, I was inspired by the stories of librarians who went to court or to jail in support of a person’s right to walk into a library and borrow materials without fear of government surveillance. In Information Access and Policy, I read the ALA Freedom to Read Statement, the ALA Library Bill of Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I reflected deeply on the ideas that resonate throughout all three documents, one of which is the right of people to think freely and not be coerced into conforming their thoughts to a particular worldview. In both the foundations course and the history course, I read works by and about librarians who were passionate about resisting censorship and ensuring that all people, and particularly the socially marginalized, can access the information they need from libraries.
What comes through clearly in all of these writings is that intellectual freedom is the thread that runs through the fabric of our most treasured liberties. Without the freedom to think, the freedom to speak, read, write, worship, and love will unravel. Censorship is dangerous because it restricts our freedom of thought. It is not always as obvious as a book being removed from a shelf; I have learned that censorship can happen passively when certain materials are never purchased to begin with due to a librarian’s own biases and fears. Censorship is something I will fight against both systemically and personally, by supporting anti-censorship advocacy efforts (such as Banned Book Week) and continually questioning my own biases. I will also have the utmost respect for library users’ privacy and resist any requests to disclose their data to unauthorized parties.
2. ENSURING ACCESS
Core Values: Access, Service, Education and Lifelong Learning, The Public Good
Code of Ethics:
1. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.
One key reason that libraries exist is to provide opportunities for education and lifelong learning to all people. Although libraries do an outstanding job of this overall, there are many people who still do not benefit from consistent library service. While studying the evolution of libraries in the United States (Foundations, History of Libraries), I became familiar with different types of libraries and the economic and physical barriers to library service experienced by various marginalized communities. Too many people lack the transportation needed to reach the library or are housed in jails, prisons, or other facilities, that make it difficult, if not impossible, to receive adequate library service. ALA’s statements on Library Services to the Poor and the Prisoners’ Right to Read acknowledge these realities and the critical role of libraries in these situations.
During my time as an MLIS student, I supported the ALA Core Values of Access, Service, and Education and Lifelong Learning by delivering resource materials to people in assisted living facilities who could not make it to the library, always striving to provide the most professional service possible. Regardless of the type of facility in which I work, I want to make sure that the offerings and programming help marginalized community members at all stages of their learning journey by honoring their life experiences, incorporating their insights, and responding to their concerns. Furthermore, in recognition of the library’s role in enhancing the public good, I will strongly support and advocate for increases in public funding for library services to marginalized populations.
3. PROMOTING DIVERSITY
Core Values: Diversity, Preservation, Sustainability, Professionalism, Social Responsibility
Code of Ethics
5. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.
8. We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.
The ALA Core Values state that libraries have a role to play in addressing social problems. If libraries and librarians are to fulfill their responsibilities to society, diversity must be more than a slogan. It has to be part of how we think about our hiring processes, programming choices, meeting interactions, and funding decisions. A deep understanding of diversity, which recognizes the unequal environmental burdens borne by poor people and racial minorities, goes hand in hand with the ALA Core Value of Sustainability, which compels libraries to embrace “practices that are environmentally sound, economically feasible and socially equitable.” When diversity is embraced profoundly and not just talked about superficially, library workers are better equipped to serve diverse communities and address the social challenges impacting them. As a library professional of color and a member of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, I am strongly committed to promoting diversity in all aspects of librarianship.
Cultivating and honoring diversity at work uplifts everyone. It enhances the intellectual and personal growth of both library workers and library users, and it makes people more empathetic and informed. A staff that understands the importance of worker diversity is more apt to value diversity in collection development. Such a staff understands the need to have a wide of range of materials preserved in multiple formats so that everyone in the community can benefit from the library’s resources. In my library volunteering and practicum, I have interacted with colleagues from backgrounds different than my own to gain a better understanding of their jobs, interests, priorities, and life experiences. I did the same in my work with outreach library clients, building rapport with them, talking with them about their goals, and learning about their resource needs and format preferences. As an online MLIS student, I have engaged deeply with my classmates on the course discussion boards, and I have learned as much from their insights as I have from my professors’ lectures. As a librarian, I will support all efforts to create and maintain a diverse staff that supports each other and that values diverse perspectives of community members.
Both the ALA Core Values and the ALA Code of Ethics mention the importance of professionalism in the workplace. Treating colleagues with respect and dignity creates a healthy work environment. It helps ensure that the profession attracts and retains highly knowledgeable and skilled people. I am committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism in my interactions with my colleagues.
Core Values: Intellectual freedom, Confidentiality/Privacy, Democracy
Code of Ethics:
2. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.
3. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.
6. We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.
I explored the many facets of intellectual freedom and censorship resistance while taking the courses Foundations of Library and Information Studies, Information Access and Policy, and History of Libraries and Librarianship. In Foundations, I was inspired by the stories of librarians who went to court or to jail in support of a person’s right to walk into a library and borrow materials without fear of government surveillance. In Information Access and Policy, I read the ALA Freedom to Read Statement, the ALA Library Bill of Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I reflected deeply on the ideas that resonate throughout all three documents, one of which is the right of people to think freely and not be coerced into conforming their thoughts to a particular worldview. In both the foundations course and the history course, I read works by and about librarians who were passionate about resisting censorship and ensuring that all people, and particularly the socially marginalized, can access the information they need from libraries.
What comes through clearly in all of these writings is that intellectual freedom is the thread that runs through the fabric of our most treasured liberties. Without the freedom to think, the freedom to speak, read, write, worship, and love will unravel. Censorship is dangerous because it restricts our freedom of thought. It is not always as obvious as a book being removed from a shelf; I have learned that censorship can happen passively when certain materials are never purchased to begin with due to a librarian’s own biases and fears. Censorship is something I will fight against both systemically and personally, by supporting anti-censorship advocacy efforts (such as Banned Book Week) and continually questioning my own biases. I will also have the utmost respect for library users’ privacy and resist any requests to disclose their data to unauthorized parties.
2. ENSURING ACCESS
Core Values: Access, Service, Education and Lifelong Learning, The Public Good
Code of Ethics:
1. We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.
One key reason that libraries exist is to provide opportunities for education and lifelong learning to all people. Although libraries do an outstanding job of this overall, there are many people who still do not benefit from consistent library service. While studying the evolution of libraries in the United States (Foundations, History of Libraries), I became familiar with different types of libraries and the economic and physical barriers to library service experienced by various marginalized communities. Too many people lack the transportation needed to reach the library or are housed in jails, prisons, or other facilities, that make it difficult, if not impossible, to receive adequate library service. ALA’s statements on Library Services to the Poor and the Prisoners’ Right to Read acknowledge these realities and the critical role of libraries in these situations.
During my time as an MLIS student, I supported the ALA Core Values of Access, Service, and Education and Lifelong Learning by delivering resource materials to people in assisted living facilities who could not make it to the library, always striving to provide the most professional service possible. Regardless of the type of facility in which I work, I want to make sure that the offerings and programming help marginalized community members at all stages of their learning journey by honoring their life experiences, incorporating their insights, and responding to their concerns. Furthermore, in recognition of the library’s role in enhancing the public good, I will strongly support and advocate for increases in public funding for library services to marginalized populations.
3. PROMOTING DIVERSITY
Core Values: Diversity, Preservation, Sustainability, Professionalism, Social Responsibility
Code of Ethics
5. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.
8. We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.
The ALA Core Values state that libraries have a role to play in addressing social problems. If libraries and librarians are to fulfill their responsibilities to society, diversity must be more than a slogan. It has to be part of how we think about our hiring processes, programming choices, meeting interactions, and funding decisions. A deep understanding of diversity, which recognizes the unequal environmental burdens borne by poor people and racial minorities, goes hand in hand with the ALA Core Value of Sustainability, which compels libraries to embrace “practices that are environmentally sound, economically feasible and socially equitable.” When diversity is embraced profoundly and not just talked about superficially, library workers are better equipped to serve diverse communities and address the social challenges impacting them. As a library professional of color and a member of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, I am strongly committed to promoting diversity in all aspects of librarianship.
Cultivating and honoring diversity at work uplifts everyone. It enhances the intellectual and personal growth of both library workers and library users, and it makes people more empathetic and informed. A staff that understands the importance of worker diversity is more apt to value diversity in collection development. Such a staff understands the need to have a wide of range of materials preserved in multiple formats so that everyone in the community can benefit from the library’s resources. In my library volunteering and practicum, I have interacted with colleagues from backgrounds different than my own to gain a better understanding of their jobs, interests, priorities, and life experiences. I did the same in my work with outreach library clients, building rapport with them, talking with them about their goals, and learning about their resource needs and format preferences. As an online MLIS student, I have engaged deeply with my classmates on the course discussion boards, and I have learned as much from their insights as I have from my professors’ lectures. As a librarian, I will support all efforts to create and maintain a diverse staff that supports each other and that values diverse perspectives of community members.
Both the ALA Core Values and the ALA Code of Ethics mention the importance of professionalism in the workplace. Treating colleagues with respect and dignity creates a healthy work environment. It helps ensure that the profession attracts and retains highly knowledgeable and skilled people. I am committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism in my interactions with my colleagues.