Book review: A handbook of ethical practice
Title of Book A Handbook of Ethical Practice
Author David McMenemy, Alan Poulter and Paul F. Burton
ISBN 1843342308
Publisher Chandos Publishing
Publisher Website www.chandospublishing.com
Reviewer Name Clare Thompson
Title Librarian
Contact Details Learning Centre The State Hospital Carstairs ML11 8RP
Email clare.thompson@tsh.scot.nhs.uk
Review
The next time anyone suggests to the reader that being a librarian is not really a profession, remind them of the historic freedoms they enjoy and just how important librarians…are to possessing those freedoms. (1)
The authors of this book are all staff members on the Information and Library Studies MSc at the University of Strathclyde, so I am glad my dissertation has been marked and passed! Their combined 50 years of professional and teaching experience boded well for the reader approaching this sticky topic for the first time.
I chose this book for professional reasons: the restrictive environment in which I deliver my own service means that I sometimes have to make ethical decisions that are more difficult than they might be in a public or academic library. The authors wished to produce a practical work which brings together many ethical issues which affect librarians, and could be used either in a professional environment, or by teachers of the information professionals of the future.
The book is divided into 8 chapters and covers: a general introduction; the library professional and ethics; ethical codes; information supply; intellectual property; freedom of access, privacy and acceptable use; ethical management of the self; and a conclusion. It is written in an accessible style and in a pleasingly organised manner. Let me say that it is easy to tell that it is written by three information professionals! A case study format is used throughout, which quotes a particular ethical dilemma, and suggests four different responses that the ethically perplexed librarian could choose.
The introduction enforces the difference between ethics and law – that “ethics are enforced by the conscience of the individual while laws are ultimately enforced by the physical power of governmental organisations” (1). The reader is also reminded of the current climate of terror and surveillance, which is rarely off the radar culturally and politically. This political climate is not one which escapes our profession: as mediators between information and those who seek it, we have some control over the information which is passed on to our users, and we have a responsibility to make ethical decisions about its provision. Should we indeed be the “gatekeepers” of information, with all of the images of barriers and entry point that this engenders?
The book contains a number of good examples of times in the recent past when the ethics of librarians have been challenged, and reminds us that perhaps we are not as far removed from the US government’s PATRIOT Act as we might think. The authors also emphasise the importance of separating personal ethics from professional ones, the former of which should not affect the delivery of a professional service.
The section on ethical codes is illuminating, and draws on information from four continents: US & Canada, Asia, Europe and Australasia. Ethical codes help librarians to work in an ethical fashion and show the wider world where the profession of librarianship stands on ethical issues. It is interesting to note that many of the codes are similar; however, some of the codes are affected by the political situation in the country, as well as its predominant religion.
We are then led by the authors through issues of information supply: both electronic and non-electronic; cataloguing and classification. The fact of the unreliability of the internet and the “Googleisation of society” (1) highlights the importance of information literacy training being delivered to users, and the librarian’s role in this.
We are then led through a discussion of barriers to access, both physical and virtual: a passage about shortened opening hours proves pertinent given the current environment. A section on privacy and security of information includes a discussion about terrorists’ use of libraries: in fact, the book is “respectfully dedicated” (1) to the John Doe librarians challenged under the PATRIOT Act in the USA.
Something we will all understand is the importance of personal development and continuous professional development (CPD), which, according to the authors, is a necessity, not an option. Last, but not least, is a discussion of management skills, which we learn, in brief, at library school these days, but rarely have a chance to practice until we are thrown in at the deep end.
All of the case studies are very relevant to librarianship today, and deal with particular ethical dilemmas in a systematic way, providing four possible solutions which the reader could use alone or in combination with each other. The authors pass the responsibility for decision-making over to the reader. The conclusions at the end of each chapter are concise – a hasty reader could glean a great deal of information from the conclusions alone! Finally, the authors provide an extensive list of further reading for the ethics enthusiast. One suggestion for the 2nd edition is to add one or two case studies about censorship – many librarians working in secure environments have more restrictions on their stock selection than other institutions, and some guidance about this sector would be welcome.
Overall: a comprehensive handbook, with an innovative approach to practical decision making.
1. McMenemy D, Poulter A, Burton P. A handbook of ethical practice. Oxford: Chandos; 2006.