[Sca-librarians] Aug 14 Staff Training on Library Ethics

[Apollonia Voss]

Hello All:

The Friday after Pennsic, I have the pleasure of leading an in-service day
discussion on library ethics.  I've got about an hour and a half and two
other co-presentors working with me.

I am looking forward to bringing some important topics up to the WHOLE
staff.  I've been unpleasantly surprised to learn that not everyone working
in our libraries shares the same foundation of philosophical views on who
provides what services and to whom.  I realized that we don't talk about
this issue often enough to keep them fresh.

It's time to create the outline and I've been reading Jean Preer's _Library
Ethics_ .  GOOD STUFF, BTW.

I'm hoping for participants to walk away with 1) an understanding the core
philosphies our county library system embraces, 2) phrases to use and
responses (what to do)  when you find yourself working with someone or
something and feel that your values are at odds with those of the customer,
library or what you believe are those of our community and 3) an opportunity
to continue talking.

It's tough talking to a seriously angry person who is demanding that
something in one of our libraries is harmful and needs to be removed.

It's not as tough, but is as important, to safeguard a person's privacy and
keep their reading/viewing/listening preferences and contact information on
the down low.

So what is appropriate for kids to view while on the PCs in the library?
Does it make a difference if they're looking at something on their own PSP?
Yes, there is CIPA and we are compliant, but there is a gray area between
offensive and obscene.  It's a place we get caught in.

What about your treatment of someone who is struggling to speak coherently
in English?   How about someone who smells bad and seems to be in the
library to suck up the air conditioning.

Is someone's work on a resume more important than another's use of email?

What if the moms in my community won't like this book being shelved in the
YA collection.  It's not age appropriate for these reasons.....

Ethical issues go on and on.  These are just a few that I've come in contact
with in the past 12 years.  While we can't tackle everything we can touch on
the most important ones.

If you were giving or going to a session like this for continuing education,
what topic or issue would you want to share?

Thanks for your help,

~Apollonia
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