Running Head: THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS
The History of ALA Library Ethics
San José State University
Author Note
Whitni J .
Watkins, Graduate Student of Library and Information
Science, San José State University .
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Whitni J .
Watkins, Graduate Student of Library and
Information Science, 35120 San Carlos Yucaipa, CA 92399
Email: Whitni .
Watkins@gmail .
com
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THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 2
Abstract
Ethics can be found everywhere; they are an intricate part of our everyday lives. No matter where we go we are confronted with ethical conflicts, including in libraries. Starting in the early
1900’s the American Library Association began forming a set of professional ethical guidelines, the ALA Code of Ethics. This essay will examine the history of those ethics and all the revisions they have undergone over the past decades. The research has found that the ALA code of ethics has room for improvement but overall they have become a cornerstone to the library profession.

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 3
Introduction
Ethics drive our lives, they shape the decisions we make .
As Information Professionals they provide framework for our services to society as a whole .
In a world where information access is constantly changing the one thing that will remain the same will be our ethics, the way we do what we do .
Our professional is known for defending the freedom of patrons, to allow them to read what they desire whether accepted by all, shows that the need for a high standard of ethics is important .
As stated best by Foskett quoted by Rubin (2010) in Foundations of Library and Information Science ,
But if indeed we have no philosophy, then we are depriving ourselves of the guiding light of reason, and we live only a day-to-day existence, lurching from crisis to crisis, and lacking the driving force of an inner conviction of the value of our work .
As information professionals it is important to understand the ethics in which we base our professional career on .
Not everyone understands their importance and some say they have no relevance .
Librarians have a responsibility; they are “moral agents” to society (Rubin, 2010, pp405) .
In the preamble statement III of the 1939 Code of Ethics for Librarians reads, “This code sets

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 4 forth principles of ethical behavior for the professional librarian .
It is not a declaration of prerogatives nor a statement of recommended practices in specific situations .
”
Libraries serve multiple parties, each one unique in its own, leaving open opportunity for many ethical issues .
The code of ethics developed by the American Library Association is an important document, providing guidelines for librarians and information professionals .
The position of this paper is to educate others about the history of library ethics and the responses given by others about their importance and relevance to the profession .
The paper is not to impose an opinion upon the reader but to provide information about the ALA code of ethics and responses to their importance of librarianship .
A student is watching illegally streamed movies and TV shows on the library computers, you did not provide the information to them you only provided the means to watch it .
How would you respond to this situation and why? Our response is in direct relation to the values or ethics we follow .
Ethics can be defined as, “the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group culture”
(dictionary .
com) .
As the human culture our lifestyle are based upon a certain code of ethics, rules we live by such as the

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 5 choice of abstinence until married .
Ethics are values we develop on our own based upon the principles we learn as children, teenagers and adults, “we associate them with words like convictions or principles more than opinions” (Rubin, 2010, p405) .
These types of ethics are considered personal, not everyone abides by them nor should we hold them accountable if they do not .
Ethics reside in our personal life as well as our professional life, some may duplicate themselves between the two however it is often required of us to keep the two separate, no matter the difficulty .
These professional ethics provide for
“professional stability and consistency when important issues arise” (Rubin, 2010) .
The role ethics plays in our lives, professionally and personally, led the American Library
Association to produce a code for librarians and information professionals .
It is important to understand that the creation of this code expresses their importance in the library profession .
Literature Review
Roy L .
Sturgeon in his article, “Laying Down the Law: ALA’s
Ethics Codes,” which appear in the November 2007 issue of
American Libraries, discusses whether information professional need enforceable rules like the ALA Code of Ethics .
He provides

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS a solid response answering questions of what he feels are the strength and weaknesses of the ALA code .
John A .
Moorman in his seminar paper published to the
Illinois Periodicals Online “Knowledge of the American Library
Association’s Code of Ethics Among Illinois Public Library
Directors; A Study” looks at the application of the ALA code among public libraries .
He discusses in length the acceptance and use of the ALA code among Illinois libraries .
Don Fallis in his article, “Information Ethics for 21 st
Century Library Professionals,” discusses the importance and need of information ethics in the library profession .
He provides responses from various authors about how information ethics can be applied to the ethical dilemmas faced as information professionals .
The primary sources are available through the ALA website .
ALA has published each draft and revision of the Code of Ethics to their webpage, www .
ala .
org , which can be easily accessed by the public .
The literature contains personal viewpoints in regards to the Code of Ethics .
They often provide resources that support their viewpoints .
This paper serves to provide a detailed
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THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 7 history of the ALA Code of Ethics and compile these viewpoints to serve as a resource for information professionals .
The History of the ALA Codes
This code is meant as a guideline, it has been revised multiple times over the year each one bringing a new change .
The first official library code of ethics was adopted in 1939 by the
American Library Association (ALA) .
There was a least one suggested code of ethics before that; in 1930 the ALA bulletin published the first suggested code of ethics .
The library association had been working on a code of ethics for many years before its official development; documents show approximately nine years from the suggest code of ethics to formally being published .
In the current life span of the code there have been three revisions since the adoption in 1939 one in 1981, 1995 and the most current code was adopted in 2008 .
There has been a committee devoted to formulating, revising or revisiting the ALA code of ethics since 1903 .
Throughout revisions, suggestions and amendments to the code of ethics there was a variety of response to the importance or need of the ethics .
The library is to serve the public with information while also protecting the rights and safety of its users .
ALA felt a code of ethics needed to be established to help protect not only

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 8 the rights and safety of the users but also the staff of libraries .
Some key words used throughout the code are: responsibility, loyalty, obligation, and protection; these words suggest the type of ethics library professionals were expected to follow .
The suggested code of ethics in 1930 opening paragraph is as follows,
The library as an institution exists for the benefit of a given constituency .
This may be the nation, a state, a county a municipality, a school or college, a specific field of research, industry or commerce or some more limited group (ALA Bulletin, 1930).
The 1930 code of ethics is six pages in length that separated principles within four parties, governing bodies, librarian, staff, and library profession .
These principles were generally applicable to the assign party .
This code was lengthy and specific covering topics of cases dealing with tenure, resignations, dismissals and recommendations (ALA, 1930). The reason for developing the code was the ALA bulletins believed that if the code was applied intelligently it would serve the general good of library service and also help encourage harmonious relations with the staff .
Although the code was only a suggestion by the ALA Bulletin it introduced formally the concepts that we, as library professionals, believe in today .

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 9
One major concept is that libraries exist for the benefit of the people whether students, politicians, government or the public as a whole they are to be a benefit .
In 1939 the focus of the code of ethics moved more to the library as a profession rather than an individual party as stated in the third paragraph “This code sets forth principles of ethical behavior for the professional librarian” (ALA, 1939).
It was this year that the ALA officially adopted the suggested code of ethics after revisions to the suggested code in 1930 .
This new code had twenty-eight principles in regards to the ethical behavior of a professional librarian; “the term librarian in this code applies to any person who is employed by a library to do work that is recognized to be professional in character according to standards establish by the American
Library Association , ” (ALA, 1939). The principles in the code were still lengthy and specific in regards to the ethical behavior of the relations between the librarian and other parties .
The ALA did not adopt another code until 1981 in the meantime they adopted two policies, the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read statements .
These policies helped begin the framework for a new library code of ethics .
The ALA published the Library Bill of Rights which addresses patron

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 10 rights to information and the services provided by the library, stated in its first point,
Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves .
Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation .
The Freedom to Read statement reiterates the importance of equal information access to the public whether it is considered unorthodox or unpopular, (ALA, 2004). Both policies embraced what the ALA felt were professional values that reflected changes in economical, social and political environment .
In 1975 the ALA drafted a Statement of Professional Ethics; this draft focused on the rights and responsibilities of a librarian which were compiled in six bullet points .
These six bullet points were “certain ethical norms [considered] basic to librarianship .
The code continued to carry the themed words responsibility and obligations of librarians while embracing the principles of the Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read
Statement .
This code brought together the ethics of the library profession and the commitment to freedom of information .

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 11
In August of 1979 the draft was revised changing the mandatory “must” to should .
One bullet point from the 1975 draft reads, “[A Librarian] must protect the essential confidential relationship which exists between a library user and the library;” this bullet point was then changed by ALA in 1979 to,
“Should recognize and protect the user’s right to privacy with respect to information sought or received and materials consulted or borrowed .
” The change in wording released the mandating of the Librarian and drew the statement closer to the initial mission of the code of ethics adopted in 1939, “sets forth principles of ethical behavior…It is not a declaration of prerogative nor a statement of recommended practices in specific situations , ” (ALA, 1939). The ALA originally created the code of ethics as guidelines for librarians to follow ethical norms in their profession because ethical dilemmas are not all the same and require different responses to each case .
In 198l, the ALA adopted a final draft of the revised statement and code of ethics, which was published in volume 12 of the American Libraries .
The ALA aimed to keep the integrity of the code while reflecting the changes to the library profession in its social and institutional environment , (ALA,
1981). The code continued to emphasize the importance of the librarian responsibilities and returned to using “must” rather

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 12 than “should” .
There was a new point adopted in the code,
“Librarians must distinguish clearly in their actions and statements between their personal philosophies and attitude and those of an institution or professional body , ” (ALA, 1981). The emphasis put on separating personal values from professional values can be related to the technological advances that led to increase of information access .
In 1981, Microsoft released MS-
DOS and the IBM PC as well as the announcement of the internet .
The ALA continued to shift the focus of the librarian responsibilities more towards their relations with users in regards to information access, censorship, customer service, and privacy rights .
The second paragraph of the 1981 Statement on
Professional Ethics reads,
Librarians significantly influence or control the selection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information .
In a political system grounded in an informed citizenry, librarians are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and the freedom of access to information .
We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations .

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 13
This statement expresses the embodiment of the change in social and ethical environment of librarianship .
However, the statement included in the 1939 code expressing the use of the code was not included in the 1981 code .
The code was revised again in 1995, this time including the statement concerning how the code should be used, “The principles of the Code are expressed in broad statements to guide ethical decision making .
These decisions provide a framework; they cannot and do not dictate conduct to cover particular situations .
” (ALA, 1995) They now adopted the title of the code, Code of Professional Ethics rather than using the term statement .
Another difference was the use of the word “we” instead of the non-personal term librarians .
The code embodies eight bullet points, expanding from the previous six, which focus on user access, privacy rights, employment issues and creator and author rights .
This is the first time the code has acknowledged copyright issues, included in the code is the following point, “We respect intellectual property rights” (ALA,
1995). The reasoning for including it in the code is not addressed but one can relate it to the advancement further in technology and access to information over the internet .
As Roy
L .
Sturgeon states, “This acknowledges that the creators or

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 14 producers of information are important participants in the library service process” (Sturgeon, R .
L .
2007, p57) .
The final revision to the code was completed and published
January 22, 2008 .
The intellectual rights point acquired in 1995 was expanded upon to know hold, “and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders” (ALA,
2008). This was the only revision made to the current Code of
Ethics of the American Library Association .
Discussion
Strengths of the Codes
As discussed above there has been over fifty years of dedicated effort put towards developing a professional code for libraries and librarians, guidelines for ethical dilemmas encountered on a daily, weekly and monthly basis .
The response to the importance and relevance of the library code of ethics has been mixed .
Information professionals have a high reputation to uphold; providing excellent customer service to users without over stepping boundaries of privacy and bridging the gaps of communication .
Casey explicitly expresses his feelings towards these guidelines, “Ethics in librarianship is – or should be – an important aspect of study for positions of leadership in the library profession” (J .
B .
Casey, 1998, p35) .

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 15
The implementation of ethic guidelines due to conflicts in the study of librarianship suggests that they are used often throughout the profession, sometimes more than we would like .
Rebecca P .
Butler expresses in an article on the impact ethical dilemmas have on librarians, “…instead you will toss and turn as bits and pieces from your day roll around in your mind .
How can you resolve all these issues?” (Butler, R .
P .
, 2005, p33). The concerns librarians can have over the multiple ethical issues they encounter can be resolved through the help of the ALA code of ethics .
The ethics do provide guidelines for information professionals to make sound decisions when in ethical conflicts, for example if encountering a copyright infringement the ethics expresses the respect librarians have for intellectual property rights, reminding that we have a duty to uphold to those who help provide the information we hold in our libraries .
“Ethical decisions are not easy to make and sometimes require the librarian to put aside their own beliefs.” (Smith, M .
)
In a lecture by Debbie Hansen on “Ethical Issues in Library and Information Science”, she closes by saying, “…professional ethics are a defining feature of the information profession,”
Copyright infringement is just one of the many ethical conflicts that are encountered in libraries .
Other conflicts guided by the code of ethics include equal access to resources for the general

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 16 public including the homeless, patron privacy and information confidentiality, and censoring of library materials .
These points can be found in the 2008 Code of Ethics published by the
ALA sections I, II, III, IV, and V .
The code acts as guidance and a reminder by expressing the commitment librarians have to the free flow of information and service to their users and each other .
Weaknesses of the Codes
The codes are general principles of guidance for library professionals; some argue they are too general and they do not express how to apply them .
The codes themselves are valuable to the profession however they are not perfect .
Sturgeon points out that, “Because of the diversity between public, school, academic, and other kinds of information centers, it is impossible to write a code applicable to them all” (Sturgeon,
R .
L .
, 2007, p57). Every library, even within the same realm, will encounter different conflicts that will need to be addressed from different perspectives .
It is important that along with the ALA code of ethics, individuals develop their own code in regards to the special issues they come across in their library .

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 17
Other limitations of the code are that ambiguity of the points addressed .
In Don Fallis’ article he points out three limitations of the library code, 1) What exactly do these principles mean? 2) What should library professionals do when these principles conflict with other ethical principles? 3) What is the ethical justification for these principles? (Fallis, D .
,
2007) .
A common concern is in regards to Fallis’ second point, what if the ALA code conflicts with other important principles such has free flow of information and copyright infringement, when do you enforce one principle and not the other .
The final point Fallis’ brings up is important because as library professionals if it is not understand why it is important to abide by the ethics of the profession their purpose for guidance is weakened because the need to apply them to ethical conflicts is not as great .
The code of ethics has limitations but it is not a firm standing document that cannot be change; it has been revised and will be revised again as needed .
Conclusion
Library professionals regularly face ethical dilemmas in the work place, having knowledge of the ethics with which their profession is based on can play a key role in how they respond to those dilemmas .
The purpose of this paper has been to provide a detailed history of the ALA code of ethics .
Every information

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 18 professional has their own personal ethics; these will not disappear once they start working in the professional field .
The
ALA published the code of ethics to provide professional guidance for libraries and staff when making ethical decisions .
The codes are written to deal with only professional behavior .
Many authors have shown how the code can be helpful in cases of ethical conflict, as well as how the code can create confusion with other policies .
The code of ethics creates a way to enhance the reputation of library service and professional behavior among the library staff and users .

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 19
References
American Library Association, (1930). Code of Ethics, 1930.
Bulletin of the American Library Association, 24( 3).
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/history/ind ex2.cfm
American Library Association, (1939). 1939 Code of Ethics for
Librarians. American Library Association Bulletin, 33 (2),
128-129.
American Library Association, (1975). Statement on Professional
Ethics, 1975.
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/history/ind ex3.cfm
American Library Association, (1979). Statement on Professional
Ethics, revised draft.
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/history/ind ex6.cfm
American Library Association, (1981). Statement on Professional
Ethics, 1981.
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/history/ind ex4.cfm
American Library Association, (1995). The American Library
Association Code of Ethics.
Retrieved from

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 20 http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/history/ind ex7.cfm
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Rights.
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American Library Association, (2004). The Freedom to Read
Statement. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement.cfm
American Library Association, (2011). History of American
Library Association’s Code of Ethics.
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American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/codeofethic s/codeethics.cfm
Butler, R. P. (2005). The School Librarian and On-the-Job
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Trouble! American Libraries, 29 (11), 35.

THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 21
Fallis, D. (2007). Information Ethics for 21 st Century Library
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Ferris, A. M. (2008). The Ethics and Integrity of Cataloging.
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THE HISTORY OF ALA LIBRARY ETHICS 22
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