presidents

COLUMN

The concept of integrity with knowledge as its base forms the

infrastructure of library professional leadership.

Leadership: Integrity and

the ALA Code of Ethics
Ann M. Martin, 2008-9 AASL President

ntegrity is unchangingor is it? One of Samuel

Johnsons characters in the novel, The History of Rasselas,
Prince of Abissinia, said, Integrity without knowledge is weak
and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous
and dreadful (Andrews, Biggs, and Seidel 1996). The
mid-eighteenth century in England is often called the
Age of Johnson because he had a profound impact on
the literature of that time. He has a satirists eye for
discrepancies and contradictions in human life, yet he is
always in search of the central and universal, for whatever
is unchanging in mans experience (OClair 1998).
Integrity with knowledge as its base forms the
infrastructure of library professional leadership. This is
unchanging. However, social behavior adapts to the times,
resulting in new ethical dilemmas for school library media
specialists. As a result, ethics adapt to societal change,
while the concept of integrity remains constant. Integrity
is defined as adherence to moral and ethical principles;
soundness of moral character; honesty (Dictionary.com
2006). Powerful leaders exhibit integrity in what they
say and how they act. Effective library leaders base their
programs on integrity.
Library media specialists are obliged to know, understand,
and adhere to the ethical principles that are the foundation
of our profession. These core values are articulated in the
Code of Ethics of the American Library Association. The principles
of this Code are expressed in broad statements to guide
ethical decision making. These statements provide a
framework; they cannot and do not dictate conduct to cover
particular situations (ALA Council 2008).


Knowledge Quest

Doing Honest Work

The Codes eight basic principlesservice, intellectual

freedom, privacy, intellectual property rights, safe
work environment, good of the whole, professional
responsibility, and professional developmentprovide
a useful foundation for operating our school libraries.
Lets examine each statement of principle and consider
associated questions about how we might apply these
tenets to the school setting.

Service
We provide the highest level of service to all library users
through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable
service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and
courteous responses to all requests (ALA Council 2008).
The highest level of service in a school library depends
on the scope of resources in the collection and the level
of staffing in the library. So, to the extent possible, this
assertion addresses providing service to all customers
before, during, and after they make a request or express
a need. School library media specialists who understand
the wishes of the school community will meet the
expectations of the staff, administration, and students.
Library users tend to rate the quality of service on wait
time; therefore, train the library staff to acknowledge
a student, teacher, or administrators presence with
a nod and a brief comment that indicates someone
will help them. When a user enters the library, it is an
opportunity to create a fanatically devoted customer,
one who will spread the word about what a great job the
library staff does. Nordstrom department store is known
for its customer service. Its customers are loyal and
return despite pricing because they receive exceptional
service. Set a goal to make your library customers into
Nordstrom-like fans.

Service Questions to Ponder:

1. What does the library staff do to bring
customers back and send them away happy?
2. Is the library leadership conveying philosophically
and by example that customer service is important?
3. Is library user satisfaction a responsibility
acknowledged in each library staff
members performance evaluation?

Intellectual Freedom
We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all
efforts to censor library resources (ALA Council 2008).
The second assertion in the Code of Ethics of the American
Library Association is that intellectual freedom is the
right of every individual to both seek and receive
information from all points of view without restriction.
A school selection policy guides the development of
the collection. For example, the Henrico County (VA)
Public Schools Policies and Regulations state, The primary
objective in the selection of instructional materials is
to provide those materials which implement, enrich,
and support the educational program of the school. It
is the responsibility of the school system to provide a
wide range of materials on different levels of difficulty,
with diversity of appeal, and representing different
points of view (n.d.).

Privacy
We protect each library users right to privacy and
confidentiality with respect to information sought or
received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired
or transmitted (ALA Council 2008).
The first expectation is that all students will be granted the right
to read and borrow from the library collection free of scrutiny
regardless of age. The second expectation of students using
libraries is the right not only to seek inormation but also to have
the subject of their research remain private (Adams 2006, 33).
Library circulation records contain private information
about students that needs to be kept confidential. This
includes personal information and also titles of books
checked out to students. Incorporate instructions on student
privacy rights when training student or parent volunteers.
When students fear their privacy or confidentiality is being
compromised, true freedom of inquiry no longer exists
(ALA Council 2002). We are ethically responsible for
assuring that privacy. Take the lead in developing a policy to
address the students confidentiality rights.
Privacy Questions to Ponder:
A volunteer checks out to a student a book on psychostimulants as antidepressants and asks the library media
specialist if the student is using drugs.
1. What assumptions were made by the volunteer?
2. Whose privacy is at risk?

Review your collection and determine if it provides

free access to ideas so a topic may be explored fully.
It is important to keep in mind that the presence
of materials in a library collection does not imply
endorsement of the ideas expressed in those materials.
Intellectual Freedom Questions to Ponder:
1. Is it appropriate for a parent to complain
about material in the library?
2. What action should be taken when a
complaint about library material is made?
3. Does the library have a policy in place
with specific procedures to implement
should a concern be expressed?
4. How might the library staff help to
prevent students from choosing materials
that are too mature for them?

3. What consequence might the unwise action cause?

4. What plan of action should the library
media specialist take in this situation?

Intellectual Property Rights

We respect intellectual property rights and advocate
balance between the interests of information users
and rights holders (ALA Council 2008).
Intellectual property rights cover graphics, text, music,
video, television, and more. In the digital age, students
routinely post copyrighted material on YouTube and
use information from the Web without permission.
Through collaboration, library media specialists and
teachers can structure student assignments to minimize
plagiarism and teach students about intellectual property.
Projects that require some type of creativity and that are
completed in steps with checkpoints along the way assist
in preventing plagiarism.
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January/February 2009

When it comes to copyright, library media specialists

are often caught between what is legally right and what is
actually practiced by administrators and staff. As teachers
locate information for use in delivering instruction,
there are times when materials are found in a format
that prevents use. One of the rights granted an author
is the sole right to create a derivative work. So copyright
protects the format in which an author expresses an idea
(Becker 2003, 28). Library media specialists need to
understand and model observance of copyright to address
the difficult questions that staff and administrators ask.
To further complicate copyright issues, library media
specialists must be able to maneuver through fair use,
which is not clearly defined because it developed over
time through practices and court decisions (USCO
2006).
As the Henrico (VA) Staff Development Copyright
Basics webpage explains: Fair use is not a set of laws.
Its more like a set of rough guidelines divided into four
portions. Fair use is all about finding the balance that
keeps you on the safe side of the law while still allowing
you to use everything you legally can. It helps to keep the
following concepts in mind when trying to figure out if
your use is going to fall under the fair use exemptions:
the purpose and character of the use, including whether
such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit
educational purposes;
the nature of the copyrighted work;
amount and substantially of the portion used in relation
to the copyrighted work as a whole;
the effect of the use upon the potential market for or
value of the copyrighted work (n.d.).
A strong copyright ethic develops over time and requires
training. We are responsible for modeling ethical
documentation and helping our faculty determine fair
use or gain permission for material they wish to use. The
Henrico County Public School Library Media Specialists
Ethics Committee, with assistance from an instructional
training resource teacher and the Staff Development
Department, created an online course to provide 24/7
access to information about copyright. The link to that
site is <http://henricostaffdev.org/copyright>. Respect
for intellectual property becomes the norm when the
library media specialist, supported by members of the
administration, trains and models ethical behavior.

Knowledge Quest

Doing Honest Work

Intellectual Property Rights Questions to Ponder:

1. When a photograph is found on the
Web, who is owner of the property?
2. What outcome might the unethical use
of downloaded materials cause?
3. Is there a parallel between copyright violations
and illegal actions in the physical world?

Safe Work Environment

We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect,
fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of
employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all
employees of our institutions (ALA Council 2008).
Libraries, like people, have an emotional IQ and their
cultures can be characterized as healthy or unhealthy.
Emotionally healthy libraries allow you to fulfill
your personal and professional goals.In the worst
circumstances, an unhealthy library culture undermines
your self-esteem, your sense of professional direction, and
your commitment to the profession (Cunningham 2001).
School library media specialists are responsible
for protecting the individual rights of their library
staff. Working long hours, having outdated tools, and
finding it difficult to complete tasks are signals that
the environment is unpleasant for the staff. Each
circumstance should be evaluated to determine what is
causing repetitive negative situations. This evaluation,
followed by brainstorming solutions and then
implementing a plan of action, demonstrates the school
library media specialist is taking a leadership role by
fostering a safe work environment.
Safe Work Environment Questions to Ponder:
1. How does the library administration deal with
complaints from coworkers, students, and staff?
2. Is the librarys vision the result of all staff
working together to achieve a shared vision?
3. Is there evidence that library
goals are being achieved?

Good of the Whole

We do not advance private interests at the expense
of library users, colleagues, or our employing
institutions (ALA Council 2008).
Advancing a personal agenda is known as conflict of
interest. This means there is a conflict between what you
personally believe and what your official responsibilities
require. Personal bias may compromise the integrity of
the library program and undermine the confidence of
your users in the program as a whole.
School library media specialists display integrity
and show respect for the library program when they
survey the community of learners to determine needs.
Leadership requires using the results of the survey
and providing resources that balance the collection to
advance inquiry and learning.
Good of the Whole Questions to Ponder:
1. Can a library media specialist look at a book
about the Iraq war and refuse to catalog it because
war is violent, excessive, and unnecessary?

instructional needs. Rules and regulations are created

to provide guidelines to assist when tough issues
arise. These guidelines are intended to help provide
consistency and efficiency.
Students and staff need equal access to resources
in order to be successful. Library media specialists
understand there are process policies to help provide
consistency and efficiency, but the aim of schools is to
educate and graduate students. When policy and aims
of the student conflict, it is important that the library
media specialist frame decisions that promote the goals
and mission of the school.
Professional Responsibility Questions to Ponder:
An at-risk student who is a struggling reader loses his
library book. He is assigned a project to complete. The
library policy states that a student with an overdue
book or fine may be prevented from checking out any
materials until the obligations are met.
1. What is the most important issue in this situation?
2. Should there be policy exceptions?

2. What consequences might this action cause

for students, staff, and administration?
3. What impact will removal of a book on a
particular topic, such as war or religion,
have on the collection of the library?
4. Is there a policy that addresses
a situation such as this?

Professional Responsibility
We distinguish between our personal convictions and
professional duties and do not allow our personal
beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims
of our institutions or the provision of access to their
information resources (ALA Council 2008).
Being judgmental undermines the library program.
Often this counterproductive attitude takes the form of
deciphering policy in a very strict sense. For example,
a policy might state that if a student has an overdue
library material he or she may not be able to check out
additional materials. Some library media specialists
interpret the may to be cannot and prevent the
student from checking out any more materials. This
might not be in the best interest of the students

3. Are there alternative solutions?

4. As a library professional, what would you
do if this happened in your library?

Professional Development
We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining
and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by
encouraging the professional development of coworkers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential
members of the profession (ALA Council 2008).
Professional development in an education setting is the
baseline for excellence. It retains and sharpens vital
skills, develops new skills, and provides currency on
library issues.
The entire school library staff needs professional
development on a regular basis. Attending professional
conferences is essential to remaining proficient in the
skills that are unique to the school library profession.
The library media specialist and the paraprofessional
require a professional development plan that includes
opportunities to develop skills and competencies that
benefit the library program and the school community.

Volume 37, No. 3

January/February 2009

Professional Development Questions to Think About:

1. How often do you attend professional conferences?
2. Do you read professional magazines regularly?
3. Do you seek opportunities for your
support staff to attend training?

Leadership in a Remix Culture

In the remix culture described by Dr. Henry Jenkins in
a white paper for the McArthur Foundation, Confronting
the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the
21st Century, students create new knowledge by mashing up
material from print materials with material from 2.0 sites
such as YouTube and Flickr. Library media specialists have
the opportunity to facilitate this participatory learning
by teaching ethical uses of these new media. In a survey of
academic honesty in Henrico County, Elko Middle School
and Highland Springs High School student comments
expressed their views of remixing (2008):
I think that imitation and remix differ from
plagiarism because plagiarism is when you copy
something exactly how it is, but mixing it up is using
what you know and adding to it. (Elko student)
Remix/mashup is plagiarism because taking
someone elses work and using it as your own, but
if you have requested permission, it is okay. The
reverse is imitation. Consumer market says it is
okay, i.e. original drugs vs. generic drugs. It is hard
to know if this is right or not. Plagiarism is lack of
academic honesty. (Highland Springs student)
Are we instructing our students to exhibit integrity
based on knowledge? In Newton, Massachusetts the
Newton North High School library website has an
excellent section on academic integrity. Go to the
following link to view How Do I Avoid Plagiarism and
read the pathfinder Please Dont Cheat created by
Donna Johns and Kevin McGrath <http://nnhs.newton.
k12.ma.us/ library/go/content/view/40/167> (2008).
As you read through this issue, think about how you can
sharpen your insights into professional honesty and
help your students produce work that is grounded in
integrity. The following student quote about mixing and
mashing up reminds me of what Samuel Johnson might
write because it seems like a contradiction, and yet the
definition is central to academic honesty. In the words of
Short Pump Middle School student Payton Cook,

10 Knowledge Quest

Doing Honest Work

Works Cited:
Adams, Helen. 2006. Confidentiality. School Library
Media Activities Monthly 23, no.1 (September), 33. <www.
schoollibrarymedia.com/articles/Adams2006v23n1p33.
html> (accessed October 27, 2008).
American Association of School Librarians. 2007. AASL
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. <www.ala.org/
ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/ AASL_Learning_
Standards_2007.pdf> (accessed October 28, 2008).
American Library Association Council. 2002. Privacy: An
Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. <www.ala.
org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/statementsif/
interpretations/privacy.cfm> (accessed November 5, 2008).
American Library Association Council. 2008. Code of Ethics
of the American Library Association. <www.ala.org/ala/
aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.
cfm> (accessed November 1, 2008).
Andrews, Robert, Mary Biggs, and Michael Seidel, eds. 1996.
The Columbia World of Quotations. New York: Columbia
University Press. <www.bartleby.com/66/14/31414.html>
(September 21, 2008).
Becker, Gary. 2003. Copyright: A Guide to Information and
Resources, 3rd ed. Lake Mary, FL: Gary H. Becker.

Mixing and mashing up is a lot like chemistry.

When two elements combine, they lose their
qualities and form new qualities. When two
ideas combine, they lose their qualities and
become something totally new (2008).
Leaders who are clear about professional integrity
foster authentic learning for students. Their students
are free to express ideas and concepts resulting in an
explosion of new knowledge. They are the 21st century
learnerslife-long learnersdescribed in the new A ASL
standards (A ASL 2007).

Ann M. Martin is currently the Educational Specialist for Library

Information Services for Henrico County Public Schools in Richmond,
Virginia. She is President of American Association of School Librarians
(AASL), a Virginia Educational Media Association past president,
an American Association of School Librarians board member, and a
recipient of the 2002 AASL National School Library Media Program
of the Year Award. Ann is author of Seven Steps to an Award-Winning
School Library Program by Libraries Unlimited.

Cunningham, Nancy. 2001. In Search of an Emotionally

Healthy Library. The Library & Information Science
Professionals Career Development Center. <www.liscareer.
com/cunningham_eiq.htm> (accessed September 23, 2008).
Dictionary.com. 2008. Integrity. Dictionary.com
Unabridged (v 1.1). <http://dictionary.reference.com/
browse/Integrity> (accessed September 21, 2008).
Elko Middle School Students. 2008. Survey on Academic
Honesty. Henrico, Virginia: Henrico County Public
Schools.
Henrico County Public Schools. n.d. Policies and Regulations.
R7-05-008 Guidelines for the Selection and Review of
Instructional Materials. <http://webapps.henrico.k12.va.us/
policy/chapter.asp> (November 2, 2008).
Henrico Staff Development. n.d. Copyright Basics: Fair
Use. <http://henricostaffdev.org/copyright/?page_id=13>
(accessed November 5, 2008).
Highland Springs High School Students. 2008. Survey on
Academic Honesty. Henrico, VA: Henrico County Public
Schools.

Jenkins, Henry. 2006. Confronting the Challenges of

Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.
Chicago: MacArthur Foundation. <http://digitallearning.
macfound.org/atf/cf/{7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9CE807E1B0AE4E}/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF>
(accessed October 15, 2008).
Johns, Donna and Kevin McGrath. 2008. How Do I Avoid
Plagiarism? <http://nnhd.newton.k12.ma.us/library/go/
content/view/40/167> (accessed October 17, 2008).
Library Ethics Committee. Henrico County Public Schools.
Copyright. <http://henricostaffdev.org/copyright> (accessed
September 23, 2008).
OClair, Robert. 1998. Samuel Johnson (17091784).
Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Suzanne M.
Bourgoin, ed. Detroit: Gale Research. <http://find.
galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS> (accessed
November 13, 2008 via General OneFile).
Short Pump Middle School Students. 2008. Survey on
Academic Honesty. Henrico, VA: Henrico County Public
Schools.
United States Copyright Office. 2006. Fair Use. <www.
copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html> (accessed October 27, 2008).

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