Having a career in the field of library, of course, cannot be set apart from a librarian profession. Thus, a Librarian is a term for people who have a degree from librarianship education and training. The main responsibility of a librarian is to carry out library management and to perform good services to the public.
Therefore, being a professional librarian also must have special ethics in their profession, not just to help finding particular books and taking good care of ancient or historical books. Thus, in today’s development of science, technology, and communication, sometimes greatly influences the behavior of librarians. They are required to know the basic ethical principles of being a librarian, including the professional code of ethics. What are the most basic ethics of the profession of librarians?
- A librarian must be able to develop professional skills for training in the fields of library science, documentation, and information.
- A librarian must be able to behave professionally and ethically, always experimenting, be innovative, responsible, and able to work together as a team.
- Trying to restrain from despicable behavior and maintaining the reputation of the organization very well. (especially not interfering in personal affairs with the organization to the scope of social media).
- A librarian must demonstrate a noble personality, be able to provide services to other librarians and the community without distinguishing religion, race, class, ethnicity, or specific political views.
- A good librarian contributes to the prosperity of the organization and to the growth of the organizational culture itself.
- A good librarian will be actively involved in the development and the contribution of the profession and the organization.
- Prioritizing their services to the nation and the state.
- Have a strong commitment to obey the librarian’s code of ethics.
Meanwhile, pertaining to the ethics of a librarian and their relations in the community, they must adhere to the following behaviors:
- Respect— treat others (fellow colleagues and community) with respect without discrimination.
- Caring— attentive and caring towards others is a professional attitude.
- Helpful— it is the duty of a librarian to provide the best assistance and services to the public in finding what they are looking for in the library.
- Noble— not being selfish and lacking consideration for others.
- Communicative— communicating well with others with good communication skills.
- Patient— not getting angry easily if being reprimanded, and not being easily satisfied if getting a compliment.
- Politeness— a true librarian, must be polite, and friendly to others however busy they are.
- Tolerance— able to allow and accept changes and differences in the organization.
- Confidence— have the confidence to ask, to address opinions, firm in making decisions, and to face any challenges in the task.
