The library system's policies are listed together on one page, with more information available by clicking on links to specific areas. Many of the policies listed deal primarily with what behavior is expected in the library as well as the specifics of how to obtain a library card and what the overdue item charges are. Of particular interest is the circulation page's paragraph about privacy. The policy appears to conform to the ALA's "privacy tool kit" although it is very brief.
There is information on the system's computer use policies, including the wireless access policy.
Ethical decisions made by the library system's management are informed, not only by the professional standards outlined by the American Library Association, but by community standards, the local government's policies, library management's ethical beliefs and finally, the beliefs of the individual librarians who work at the various branches. Balancing obligations to the profession, the patrons and the community is sometimes difficult as conflicts often arise.
Questions of if and how to control access to materials, what policies to enact and which materials to include in the collection all must be answered by librarians. Computers and the internet pose a particular problem for librarians as information available through the internet can fall far outside what the library would choose to include in its collection.
What is of particular interest in regards to ethics and the library is that even decisions about what hours to remain open have ethical dimensions as changes in when the library is open could limit access by particular populations, therefore limiting their access to the information services the library provides. Professional codes such as the ones outlined by the ALA provide a foundation for individual libraries to shape their own policies. It is my hope that this blog will provide a starting place for your consideration of the greater implications of policy decisions made in your own local library.
