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Table of Contents
Module 6 Answers and review - Reference Excellence
Module 6 answers
Suggested answers for Module 6 exercises - Discuss the questions and your answers with your supervisor, trainer or colleagues.
Ethics
1.Find your Council code of conduct and summarise the document.
Your Council's code of conduct statement will have important information about how you are expected to behave in and outside the workplace where you are representing Council. Consider how this fits within your role within the library. Remember that you are the public face of Council.
Policies
1. Review your library's policy for reference service. This may be part of another policy. In the policy (or elsewhere), how does your library indicate support for these guidelines?
2. Describe in your own words how each of the following ethics guidelines affects or applies to reference work in your library. Does your library's reference policy reflect these policies or statements?
* Free access to basic reference services Library Act 1939
Free access to information
1. How do your policies and service provision comply with the Library Council of New South Wales Access to Information in New South Wales Public Libraries Guideline and ALIA Statement on free access to information.
2. Check your Council's procedures for access to information. Are there different conditions for staff and members of the public?
3. Patrons have expectations of what they believe the library should provide to them. They also have expectations of what the library will not provide (whether that is true or not). It is important to remember that the library serves everyone in the community, regardless. Carefully consider if your library policies (and all facets of your library service) reflect the concept of free and open access to information.
Confidentiality
- Find out what your library is doing in regards to the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.
- Do you know what records are kept of reference transactions and the confidentiality policies regarding the records? Look at the following questions about library records situations. What similar situations might arise for records kept for reference transactions, with in-house or remote services?
- A member of Council wants to see the patron record for her son. He's 19. May the Council member view these records?
- You have to leave a message on an answering machine for a patron that an Interlibrary Loan book is in. Do you include the name of the book in the message?
- A police officer wants to see library records for a patron arrested for child molestation. The officer doesn't have a warrant. Are you required to provide the record?
- The library emails newsletters to all patrons. The local Chamber of Commerce would like to use the list of patron addresses for their own newsletter. Can you do that?
- A father requests the library records of his son aged 9. You know that the parents are divorced and that the mother has sole custody of the child. Do you release the records to the father?
You might want to discuss these questions with an experienced colleague or your supervisor. All questions deserve equal treatment, whether you personally agree with the question, the information found, or the concept being explored or not. It is not for you to judge your patrons based on the questions they ask.
Confidentiality
The Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 is an important piece of legislation. As the library holds information about its members it is important to be aware of its contents and context in relation to how the library ensures the confidentiality of those records and other transactions within the library.
- Once a person reaches 18 years they are an adult in their own right and take on full responsibility for their library membership. They no longer have a guarantor. So unless the member gives the library permission for them to disclose his patron record to his mother you are not allowed to do so.
- When leaving messages for patrons on answering machines it is important to be aware that they may not be the only person who listens to the message. In order to maintain the confidentiality of the reference transaction (especially if you are unable to speak directly with the patron) you should always leave somewhat generic messages. Such as, “It's…. from the library. I have obtained the Inter Library Loan item you requested. You can contact me on… or drop into the library to pick the item up.”
- All requests from Police to view patron library records should be directed to your library manager. It is preferable that a formal warrant is obtained in advance in order to ensure full protection of patrons' rights and visibility of correct procedure. In some instances this may not be possible but your library manager will make that decision in consultation with Council governance.
- The address details (email or otherwise) of patrons is confidential and cannot be shared with outside agencies.
- Becoming involved in family disputes places library staff in awkward situations. It is advisable to direct this request to the library manager. Even though the mother in this situation is the guarantor of the child does not mean that the father is not entitled to information regarding his son (who is under 18 years and still a minor). Your library manager will review the request and may require the father to provide a court document supporting his request.
Module 6 review
What have you learned?
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has published a code of professional conduct and a set of core values that all library employees should understand. This code of conduct and set of core values helps us to preserve our patrons' right to privacy, to fair and equitable treatment, and helps ensure that people who need information have access to it. This code applies to all aspects of library service including collection development and circulation. The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) has a useful professional code of ethics for librarians which is available to read in several languages.
Major Point: Library work has important ethical considerations. Many of these are expressed in the ALIA Statement on Professional Conduct.
Major Point: All libraries offering reference service should have a statement of objectives, a description of the types and levels of services offered, and guidelines to help staff who provide this service.
- Serving the community means serving everyone in the community, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups
- Library and information services have particular responsibilities in supporting and sustaining the free flow of information and ideas
Respect for diversity and individuality
Major Point: All people in the community are entitled to an equitable library service, and all questions deserve equal treatment.
Major Point: Libraries must protect each patron's right to privacy and confidentiality.
Evaluation
What to do when you finish the module…
When you have completed the exercises for this module, you may want to talk to your supervisor, trainer or colleagues about them.
Please fill out and submit the evaluation form
Other modules for Reference Excellence
Reference Excellence - self paced reference and information services training
Module 1 Overview of the reference process
Module 2 Reference interview skills and question types
Module 3 People skills, reference behaviours
Module 6 Ethics and legislation