The American Library Association is the professional organization representing public, academic, school, and special libraries in the United States. Last week, the Washington office released a statement, which was quickly criticized by the larger profession. In short, the statement highlighted ways in which the ALA would work with the incoming presidential administration. Read more about the issues in a recent post from Inside Higher Ed.
The Ames Library wants to call your attention to the Core Values of Librarianship, which “reflect the history and ongoing development of the profession” for many years.
Included in the Core Values are:
- Access
- Confidentiality/Privacy
- Democracy
- Diversity
- Education and Lifelong Learning
- Intellectual Freedom
- Preservation
- The Public Good
- Professionalism
- Service
- Social Responsibility
“It would be difficult, if not impossible, to express our values more eloquently than ALA already has in the Freedom to Read statement, the Library Bill of Rights, the ALA Mission Statement, Libraries: an American Value, and other documents. These policies have been carefully thought out, articulated, debated, and approved by the ALA Council. They are interpreted, revised or expanded when necessary. Over time, the values embodied in these policies have been embraced by the majority of librarians as the foundations of their practice.”