How Are the Attitudes to Ethics Shaped in the Workplace of Information Professionals in New Zealand's Public Libraries?

Abstract

Public librarianship, as a field within LIS in New Zealand, exists within a very complex and demanding environment. There are many uncertainties particular to public librarianship with the demands of multiple stakeholders, interests, values, and changing technologies. The modern information environment continues to change rapidly (Fitzgerald & Savage, 2004), placing pressure on Library and Information Service (LIS) workers to behave both ethically and with haste, in the case of LIS workers providing information directly to clients. In addition, there is no universal agreement on ethical beliefs and individuals have different perceptions of what is ethical, or unethical, and make use of different ethical frameworks to make decisions (Hannabuss, 1998). The Library and Information Association Aotearoa New Zealand (LIANZA) realises that ethical standards are important for the professional standards of LIS in New Zealand and have a Professional Code of Conduct. This research looks to examine how LIS workers in New Zealand's public libraries attitudes to ethics are shaped in the workplace.