アメリカ図書館協会1938年版『倫理綱領』の成立と性格

Abstract

Library and information scholars have largely ignored researching, the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics, especially from a critical historical perspective. However in today's digital post 9/11 environment, library ethics is even more important for library practitioners and researchers alike. This paper explores the history of the Code of Ethics which was formally adopted in December 1938 by ALA Council. In addition the author compares the Code of Ethics with the Library Bill of Rights (LBR) adopted in 1939. Although the two documents were approved only a year apart, this paper finds a major difference between the thinking behind them. In summary, we can call the LBR a forward-thinking plan for a new model of librarianship, whereas the Code of Ethics was built on an earlier model of professional expectations. Perhaps because of this frame, the 1938 Code of Ethics has been nearly forgotten compared to the attention lavished on the LBR.