Ethics Interview

Interview

                For my paper, I interviewed the director of the Marble Falls Public Library. He/she grew up in Marble Falls and is very familiar with the people and area. He/she was a good candidate for the interview since she often has to straddle the line of being the librarian but also knowing the patrons on a personal level. He/she has great advice for keeping ethical practices while also keeping these relationships with the city folks.

                I began the interview by explaining the purpose of this interview and that I wanted to get information on ethical practices from someone that has had many encounters with it in her profession. I asked the first question of ‘what do you think are the 3 main ethical problems in your area of librarianship’? My interviewee stated that it can be difficult giving equal service to all patrons. It can hard to make sure that all patrons are receiving the help and guidance they need. Some of our services are geared towards patrons that can do things themselves. We do help with getting patrons started on the computers and showing them how the self-check stations work but a lot of times patrons want us to walk them through applications, setting up their emails, etc. and we aren’t able to do so. Furthermore, he/she said that there is political control that influences the decisions that she makes. There are times when she wants to do a certain thing, but she has to stay within the bounds of policies. For example, since patrons do know her, she can be pressured at times to give them special treatment such as waiving a fine or moving in line for a book. This can be difficult since it’s against the policies of the library, but it’s a special friend that is asking. She said she has to subtle ways for saying no. Also, she says that the facilities design is something that can be a problem since she doesn’t always have the say so for how the facilities should be laid out. Though she would know what would work and what doesn’t, she has to have the backing of funding to get it done and thus agreement with their opinions and hers.

                Second, I asked ‘in this information age, what do you think might be a major ethical problem/opportunity for the entire profession’? My interviewee says that social media can create an environment with gray areas. Such as having patrons getting very opinionated on our Facebook page when voting season comes around. She says “it is a place to promote library services, not for opinions, including staff members” (personal communication, February 5, 2018).

                Third, I asked ‘can you describe a recent professional situation that you experienced that you thought might be unethical or had the potential to become ethically gray’? Amanda said that a librarian working on collection development may struggle with censoring materials based on personal convictions in a small community. There are times she can catch herself judging a book based on her background and beliefs.

                Next, I asked ‘if you could create on program on ethics and libraries, to be delivered at a national conference, what would it be about’? She said a program about how to work as a team. This will create a community between co-workers and colleagues to promote respect, fairness, and good faith. “Nurturing this type of environment behind the scenes will transfer to the public scene” (personal communication, February 5, 2018).

 I asked ‘is the ALA code of ethics displayed at your workplace area and if so where’? She said it is not in her workplace area but it would be especially beneficial to be posted in the work room.

                Next, I asked ‘what one piece of advice would you give to new librarians or information professionals about ethics and the workplace’? She said “think before you post or email” (personal communication, February 5, 2018). This will help with not sending things in the heat of the moment or with errors.

                Next, I asked “what one thing do you think should be taught in a course on ethics and libraries or information ethics’? She said kindness is very important. “Ethics becomes part of common sense think when kindness is involved” (personal communication, February 5, 2018).

                Another question, I asked ‘what are some ethical issues regarding the library’s collection? Do you often have patrons complain about certain books not available? Or that are available’? Amanda says that complaints here are rare, but aggressive when there is one. The main concern patrons complain about are children discovering topics at the wrong stage.

                Next, I asked ‘how do you deal with the ethic issue regarding people with disabilities? Is the library accessible to these patrons’? Amanda said renovations are always ADA compliant but parking can be an issue sometimes.

                Next, I asked ‘do you think patrons are aware of the ethical codes of the library? How do we make them aware’? Amanda said it is a learning process. Librarians usually have the opportunity to practice ethics by respecting privacy rights of patrons. However, in a small community, patrons know each other well and can be adamant about asking personal questions.

                Next, I asked ‘do you feel pressure from patrons and supervisors to censor the books in the collection’?  She said definitely no. ‘It’s a public library, period” (personal communication, February 5, 2018).

                Lastly, I asked ‘anything else you would like to ask about ethical issues present in the library or community’? She said “I find it beneficial to reread the code of ethics regularly. Gentle reminders are helpful to keep your mind, thoughts, and emotions professionally sound and on track” (personal communication, February 5, 2018).

                I found the interview to be very beneficial for learning about ethical practices in the workplace since I was able to get information from a reliable source. My interviewee has been in some of the situations before and has the experience on how to handle them ethically. I especially found the interviewees advice about creating a positive work environment behind the scenes so that it will filter in the library. I like that idea of keeping the staff ethical and nurtured so that they will be better servers to the community.