Hay, Shana
Morrisey, L. J. (2008). Ethical issues in collection
development. Journal of Library
Administration, 47(3/4), 163-171.
doi: 10.1080/01930820802186506
Evaluation: This article looks at some of the ethical issues
that may arise in the undertaking of a collection development policy. The
author specifically outlines how information obtained from interactions between
the managers, vendors, and patrons of a given library system can have a direct
effect on the resources available in a library. It is critical that collections
staff make equitable and ethical decisions when considering what materials to acquire,
and this paper recommends utilising a combination of the ALA Code of Ethics, internal
collections guidelines, and collaboration with fellow collections staff as a way
of ensuring ethical guidelines are being followed when building and providing
access to library resources.
Summary: This article poses several questions designed to
help librarians assess the ethical issues that may affect the development of an
equitable collection reflective of the community being served by a given
library system. I appreciated how Morrisey took specific lines from the ALA’s Code
of Ethics and showed how those principles can guide collections development,
and he brought up several points I had never considered. First, he outlines the
importance of establishing a mechanism for accepting and responding to
collection requests- allowing patrons to directly influence purchases and thus
creating a collection reflective of the community (and not the preferences of
the collections librarian!). Interestingly, the author recommends not acknowledging
what he defines as “self interested communication”, in other words, direct
contact from publishers or authors. I don’t know if I agree with this rule, as I
can see benefits from building relationships with content creators, however I
understand the need to look at these connections with some caution to avoid the
appearance of favouritism.
One of the more
interesting sections of the article deals with the need for collections librarians
to separate personal feelings when evaluating controversial materials. The
example of a librarian working in a religious institution tasked with deciding
what resources related to birth control or LGBTQI topics to include. Librarians
must resist all efforts to censor library resources, but how can this principle
be practically applied, and how is this ensured? This ties into the author’s
later conversation regarding the importance of distinguishing between personal
convictions and professional duties and stresses the need for collections decisions
to be made collaboratively when possible, to avoid personal bias. Collaboration
also helps ensure that the interests of library users come before the personal
interests of a particular librarian.
The notion of gifts
and perks was one I had never connected with librarianship before, and this
article does a great job of outlining some of the concerns surrounding receiving
gifts such as dinners or appointments to vendor advisory boards. These gifts should
only be accepted with conditions that the acceptance does not indicate a
preference for one vendor over another. When considering a digital subscription,
it is also important to understand the scope of the vendor’s access to patron
information. Will they be able to track individual users? Will they use collected
stats to market other services to the library? The answers to these questions may
impact the adoption of a service and should be considered before entering into
any agreements with vendors.
This article highlights
some of the important ethical issues that should be considered by collections
staff as they develop the resources of their institution. By outlining the specific
sections in the ALA’s statement on the ethical responsibilities of librarians
and providing examples of when those responsibilities may be tested, this
article serves as a practical resource for libraries as they continue to
develop their collections. Morrisey has developed a useful best practice guide
that offers easy to follow advice related to tackling issues of ethics in
library collections.
