Candyce Pruitt-Goddard
ILS 561
Week 8 Assignment 1
Case Study Assignment
While it would be tempting to casually inform my friend of my suspicions regarding one of her students, doing so would go against the Code of Ethics of the American Library
Association (ALA), and would not be a wise decision. As such, if I were Gwen, I would stay out of the situation and not mention Tony’s behavior at the library. Furthermore, I would make sure to keep information regarding the information sought, resources consulted, or materials borrowed by patrons confidential in all incidences, in order to uphold the ALA’s Code of Ethics.
The Code of Ethics of the ALA embodies the ethical responsibilities of library and information professionals, which should be used to guide their decisions concerning ethical dilemmas (American Library Association [ALA], 2008). The third principle of the ALA’s code of ethics states that information and library professionals should “protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted” (ALA, 2008).
As such, to comply with this vital ethical principle of the library profession it is imperative to keep Tony’s use of the library confidential. This principle should be extended to personal conversations through which telling a friend about a patron’s use of the library could get the patron into trouble, even if the resources consulted in the library were used to cheat on a report. The decision to stay out of the situation is also best because I couldn’t possibly know for sure whether or not Tony actually read a book for the report.
The ALA’s Policy Concerning Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information about Library Users also states the ethical responsibilities of librarians extend to “protect[ing] the

privacy of library users” (ALA, 2004). In a library setting, a patron’s right to privacy “is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others”
(ALA, 2004). As such, Tony has a right to privacy when using the library, and as a librarian, it is my responsibility to protect his right to privacy. Telling Pam about Tony’s use of library resources would most likely lead to Pam examining or scrutinizing his use of the library, and would thus be indicative of a violation of Tony’s right to privacy when using the library.
The ALA’s website also houses an article regarding privacy and confidentiality in the library. This article asserts that a “lack of privacy and confidentiality chills users' choices, thereby suppressing access to ideas. The possibility of surveillance, whether direct or through access to records of speech, research and exploration, undermines a democratic society” (ALA, n.d.). When library patrons use the library, they have a right to do so without being under surveillance. One of the core principles of librarianship is keeping patron records confidential
(ALA, n.d.). Discussing Tony’s use of library resources would be a flagrant violation of this core principle.
Just as doctor’s have an ethical obligation to keep their patient’s records confidential, it is also important for librarians to keep their patron’s records confidential. Just as it would be unethical for a doctor to report to a teacher that one of his/her students is pregnant, it would be unethical for a librarian to report to a teacher that a student might have cheated on an assignment.
Because of the principles surrounding the Code of Ethics of the ALA, I would stay out of the situation and not tell Pam about Tony’s suspicious behavior.

References
American Library Association. (2004). Policy concerning confidentiality of personally identifiable information about library users. Retrieved October 17, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=otherpolicies&Template=/ContentManageme nt/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=13087
American Library Association. (2008). Code of ethics of the American Library Association.
Retrieved October 17, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/ala/ issuesadvocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm
American Library Association. (n.d.). Privacy and confidentiality. Retrieved October 17, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=ifissues&Template=
/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=25304