Ethics Literacy

Much like information literacy, information professionals should also be ethically literate as well. Information professionals may deal with many different types of ethical scenarios daily and therefore having good background knowledge, and a strong understanding of ethics is important. The American Library Association (ALA) has deemed ethics as an important component in library science since the 1930s. The ALA Code of Ethics has informed many professionals about ethics but it may not be enough. Its accreditation does not mandate that coursework include any sort of ethics training nor does it standardize ethics curriculum (Buchanan, 2004, p. 51). Though it’s important for the ALA to continue to demonstrate the importance of ethics in the workforce, it doesn’t seem to be truly effective in practical applications.

Luo (2016, p. 197) found that when dealing with an ethically ambiguous situation, many professionals reached out to others in their field to seek advice on how to handle the situation. This may be an issue because organizational ethics may differ from company to company and, in some instances, from the ALA Code of Ethics as a whole (Luo, 2016, p.197). Because of this, it is necessary that organizations have ethics policies in place so that staff may defer to them when ethical situations arise. However, this may be easier said than done since situations that involve ethics do not have clear-cut outcomes. It is in the best interest of organizations and especially those who work in reference services to partake in an ethics course or attend ethics workshops where practical applications may be discussed.

References

Buchanan, E. (2004). Ethics in library and information science. What are we teaching? Journal of Information Ethics, 13(1), 51-60. doi:10.3172/JIE.13.1.51

Luo, L. (2016). Ethical issues in reference: An in-depth view from the librarians’ perspective. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 55(3), 189-198.

New Job, Who Dis?

 

I started a new job on Monday. I am a full-time intern at the library at Southwest Research Institute. It's weird to start during the middle of a pandemic. My orientation was in a room that was too big for the six of us and we were all spread at least six feet apart. The orientation itself was cut short; we were told only the absolutely necessary. Still, it's been great to get into a library again. 

Big Data

Big data can be defined by the three Vs: volume, velocity, and variety (Laney, 2001). But simply put, it is data that is so large in volume, that happens so fast, and across a variety of platforms that it used to be impossible to mine all the data with (what used to be) typical software. Now that technology has advanced, big data is used in organizations around the world to tailor user experiences and to help the company see trends in regards to its users. For example, which links are being clicked on the most, which devices users use the most to visit the site, and more.

Using big data in libraries is a complicated issue. The biggest issue is that recording and mining data from users can directly violate their right to privacy. Article VII in the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights states that all people “possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use” (2006). It is a core value that many within the library profession believe in firmly. Though there may be ways to anonymize data, breaches from companies like Target to Experian prove that data can be hacked.

However, using big data in libraries can prove to be beneficial not only to the library but to the users as well. One way libraries can use big data to help users is by providing relevant information to their searches (Li, Jiao, Zhang, & Xu, 2019, p. 25). In much the same way Netflix tailors recommendations based on your previously watched media, libraries can utilize big data to provide relevant information to patrons that they might not have been actively searching for. This feature is not only beneficial to the user but to the library as well. It can save library resources such as time and money. It also can help the users return to the library because they had a pleasant user experience.

References

Laney, D. (2001). 3D data management: Controlling data volume, velocity and variety. 6(70). META Group Research Note.

Li, S., Jiao, F., Zhang, Y., & Xu, X. (2019). Problems and changes in digital libraries in the age of big data from the perspective of user services. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(1), 22-30.

Library Bill of Rights. (2006). American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill