Information professionals play an extremely important role in society. And it is critical that they carry out their mission in an ethical manner. Toward this end, many organizations of information professionals have adopted codes of professional ethics. See, for example, ALA’s Code of Ethics and ASIST’s Professional Guidelines.
Such codes of professional ethics provide information professionals with guiding principles. However, there are a number of reasons why information professionals need to understand the ethical reasoning that justifies acting in accordance with these principles. First, it is no simple matter to apply these principles to particular concrete situations. An understanding of the underlying ethical reasoning can help us to apply these principles to such situations. Second, these principles often come into conflict with other obligations that we have. (They can even come into conflict with each other.) An understanding of the underlying ethical reasoning can help us to resolve such conflicts.
In this course, we will study the various ethical theories that have been proposed by philosophers. We will then apply these theories to the ethical dilemmas that most commonly confront information professionals. In particular, we will focus on issues such as intellectual freedom, equitable access to information, privacy, and intellectual property. In addition, we will look at how advances in information technology have created new ethical dilemmas.
Note: Libraries and librarians face certain unique ethical challenges. However, they also share many ethical challenges with the growing number of businesses and government agencies that handle and disseminate information. As a result, many of the readings for this course will look at information ethics in this broader context.
| Group Presentation | 25% |
| Final Project | 20% |
| Midterm | 25% |
| Short Assignments | 20% |
| Participation | 10% |
Readings:Spinello, Richard A. 1995. Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Note: All of these articles will be available on the web, through electronic reserves, or through JSTOR.Baldwin, Gordon B. 1996. "The Library Bill of Rights--A Critique." Library Trends 45:7-27. Doyle, Tony. 2001. "A Utilitarian Case for Intellectual Freedom in Libraries." Library Quarterly 71:44-71. Garoogian, Rhoda. 1991. "Librarian/Patron Confidentiality: An Ethical Challenge." Library Trends 40:216-33. Hettinger, Edwin C. 1989. "Justifying Intellectual Property." Philosophy and Public Affairs 18:31-52. (Available from JSTOR.) McCain, Roger A. 1988. "Information As Property and As a Public Good." Library Quarterly 58:265-82. Mill, John Stuart. 1859. Chapter 2 ("Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion.") of On Liberty. (Available at http://www.utm.edu:80/research/iep/text/mill/liberty/lib-2.htm.) Nesta, Fred and Henry Blanke. 1991. "Warning: Propaganda!" Library Journal (May 15):41-43. Ortega y Gasset, José. 1961. "The Mission of the Librarian." Antioch Review 2:133-54. Spinello. "Preface." Pp. ix-xi in Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. Spinello. "Frameworks for Ethical Analysis." Pp. 14-44 in Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. Spinello. "Privacy in the Information Age." Pp. 111-30 in Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. Spinello. "Intellectual Property." Pp. 147-66 in Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. Thomson, Judith Jarvis. 1975. "The Right to Privacy." Philosophy and Public Affairs 4:295-314. (Available from JSTOR.) Wolkoff, Kathleen Nietzke. 1996. "The Problem of Holocaust Denial Literature in Libraries." Library Trends 45:87-96. Woodward, Diana. 1990. "A Framework for Deciding Issues in Ethics." Library Trends 39:8-17. Woodward, Diana. 1990. "Paternalistic Censorship and Privacy Protection." Library Trends 39:5-7.
Codes of Ethics
ALA Code of Ethics ASIST Professional Guidelines ALA Library Bill of Rights SAA Code of Ethics
IMPORTANT! This syllabus is still under development and is subject to modifications amd additions. This course will be delivered using WebCT. This class will have a listserv: IRLS520-792@listserv.arizona.edu. Please subscribe (see Subscription Information for instructions).
WebCT Code of Academic Integrity SIRLS Computer Requirements