Diane B. Rice
UWM 497 Study Abroad -
International Librarianship & Information Studies
Dr. Wooseob Jeong
Global Information Ethics
A discussion of ethics (*See note below) is inherently complex because it includes combinations of both personal and social realms of beliefs, and these may also be associated with certain groups or professional societies with their own individual codes of ethics. These codes usually begin in smaller groups and eventually expand to include wider perceptions on how they must be implemented or monitored (for correct observance) in following principles of these codes. Codes may contain (both morally and personally) subjective areas of ethical considerations with varying formal structures of enforcement or none at all. Sets of ethics may be based solely upon political or spiritual writings and laws. Implementation of codes of ethics carries potential for personal interpretation resulting in uniquely individually-motivated actions and behavior. This brief essay will be concerned primarily with Global Information Ethics as practiced in International Librarianship.
*"ethics, in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members."
(The
31 Jul. 2006 <http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0817777.html>)
From the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Council and General Conference, Glasgow, August 18-24, 2002, Martha M. Smith (Department of Library Science, Clarion University, Pennsylvania, USA) outlines a need for addressing professional education because "Today the complexities of the global information environment present issues of access, intellectual property, privacy, security, and human rights that demand critical ethical reflection and dialogue across boundaries of geography, language, and cultural background." her list below includes
"Ten Reasons to Teach Global Information Ethics:
Students need:
1. To study the heritage and traditions of international librarianship and begin rethinking these traditions in light of current challenges.
2. To study the historical and philosophical background of ethical traditions and various strategies for decision-making.
3. To understand the social contexts that have shaped the values and moralities of the successive information ages, the history of reading, writing, and literacy, and the rise of contemporary information and communications technologies.
4. To become comfortable with the vocabularies and methodologies of applied ethics, STS (Science, Technology & Society), social informatics and the philosophy of technology.
5. To practice critical thinking and various approaches to decision-making in supportive environments where many different voices can be heard.
6. To learn to apply the values represented in professional codes yet also to think and act beyond the confines of established codes.
7. To appreciate global dimensions of ethical, legal, and cultural issues.
8. To learn to use resources that will guide them throughout their careers to explore and evaluate ethical challenges, the professional literature, the work of organizations and associations both inside and outside the field of LIS, governmental, and non-governmental policy resources.
9. To become familiar with what the research literature and methodologies of the various academic disciplines contribute to understanding of global information ethics.
10. To develop a professional perspective to guide them toward personal integrity and social responsibility in the work place and in their participation in larger society."
Smith recommends the website of the
In American libraries many individuals are familiar with the "Code of Ethics of the American Library Association Professional"
(< http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.htm>).
Their work covers many essential areas of librarianship involving ethical
considerations i.e., equity of access/service, privacy, literacy and lifelong
learning goals and tracking threats to democracy and is well worth
consideration. "ALA Library Bill of Rights" is of benefit nationally by
offering standards or guidelines in goal-setting for public libraries, also
ideas in developing mission statements and policies. The
On a global scale comparing different codes of libraries is something that has become possible (through the IFLA website) by using the Internet to post them internationally. From the World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council, Berlin, August 1-9, 2003 in a report to the IFLA Council, Alex Byrne (Chair, IFLA/FAIFE Committee) outlined the development of the Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) in 1997 "that will advise IFLA on matters of international significance to libraries and librarianship in this area, including, but not limited to:
· Censorship of library materials
· Ideological, economic, political or religious pressures resulting in limitations on access of information in libraries, or restrictions on librarians and other information specialists who provide reference and other information services"
Byrne mentions that FAIFE consists of 22 members from 20 nations. Some of the IFLA statements concern Intellectual Freedom, Terrorism, the Internet and Free Access to Information (<http://www.ifla.org/V/press/ifla-ipaf03.htm>) and are available in many different languages. In the FAIFE international offices and as they travel they offer educational services sharing i.e., country and world reports on the IFLA/FAIFE website (<http://www.ifla.org/faife>). One interesting aspect of the IFLA Annual Reports is in their tracking of international ethical violations in different countries. For "Incidents over the first six years" in 1999:
· Cuba- Intimidation of operators of independent libraries
· USA- Cuba blockade
· Yugoslavia- Damage to libraries in Kosovo
·
Indonesia- Destruction of libraries in
· USA- Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
· Various- Internet censorship legislation
In 2001:
· Japan- Histories bowdlerized
· South Africa- Removal of titles from school reading lists
·
· USA-September 11 attacks
· USA- Elsevier removal of articles from full text journals
In 2002:
Ideas that have become clear from this brief study of some of the implications of Global Information Ethics is that in the world are populations of people with limited access to information. This may be because of poverty or lack of economical support for libraries, illiteracy or lack of educational access, restrictive national policies or conflicts, political or legal limitations. The importance of free access to information and the resources to protect,
preserve, and document cultural history are essential to the complete the overall character of our world. Development of ethics is based upon having enough information and knowledge of a greater context to make decisions that allow for positive choices in the world. Without working positively to distribute information and access to collections in libraries, using the Internet or sharing our resources to support the human right to be able to learn about global issues i.e., "Public Libraries in Nigeria" by M.U. Madubom (essay from textbook "International Librarianship", Scarecrow Press, Maryland and London, 2001) then world views will become distorted and uneven.
Librarians offer
information that supports clarity, allowing themselves and others to enrich
their own views of the world. Organizations such as UNESCO offer opportunities
and partnerships to aid in solutions to some of these problems of inequality.
In a book called "Global Values 101" (edited by Kate Holbrook, Ann S.
Kim, Brian Palmer, and Anne Portnoy, Beacon Press,
"The most important contributors to the development of the ideas and even the practices of public international law for the last fifty to seventy years have not been governments; they have been nongovernmental actors. They have been grassroots organizations and international nongovernmental organizations. These NGOs have been important both in articulating the content of these ideals and also in creating processes of monitoring, exchanging, communicating, pressuring, and shaming behavior. As it turns out, the intellectual force and the muscle in the movement for international human rights are not in governments and not in the UN. There is something very exciting about that because it suggests there is power in the weak. In fact, over time may be more powerful than the powers of the strong. Those people who work for governments and the UN have enormous sets of constraints about what they can do, what they are willing to do, and what they are politically able to do. People who do not have all those obligations may have more freedom, more ability to maneuver."
It is important for a student of Information Science, librarians or citizens with free access to libraries to be aware of the greater global context in order to provide international understanding for our future.