Edili: Ethical dilemmas for librarians and other information workers: case studies
| ID | Title | Keywords | Type of library | Type of activity |
| 1 | Use of filtering software | Filtering software ; freedom of information ; protection of minors | Public library | Use |
| 2 | Armenian Genocide | Armenians; equal treatment; freedom of expression; neutrality; pluralism; censorship | Scientific library; city public library | Cooperation with external partners; space allocation |
| 3 | Assisted Dying | Neutrality ; assisted dying ; censorship | Public library | Collection development |
| 4 | Use of RFID | Data protection ; user’s point of view ; rationalisation ; RFID ; monitoring | Public library Academic library | Use Management |
| 5 | Instructions for bomb-making | Protection of minors ; freedom of information ; leftism ; political violence; explosive devices; terrorism; censorship | Public library | Use |
| 6 | Reviews in the catalogue | Catalogue enrichment ; neutrality ; review | Public library | Development |
| 7 | Cultivation of cannabis | Data protection ; drugs ; cannabis cultivation ; police investigations ; police access to user data | Public library | Management |
| 8 | Suicide | Suicide ; responsibility ; censorship | Public library | Collection development |
| 9 | Anorexic girl | Data protection ; protection of minors ; anorexia ; responsibility ; confidentiality | Public library | Use |
| 10 | Creationism | Fundamentalism ; gift ; creationism ; neutrality ; sect | Public library | Collection development |
| 11 | Piglet book | Atheism ; child protection ; children′s books ; censorship | Public library in a small town | Collection development Development |
| 12 | Sex tourism | Development ; feminism ; misogyny; sexism; sex tourism; keywords | Academic library | Development |
| 13 | Customer or user? | Library function ; educational mission; public service ; economisation ; New Public Management | Public library | Public relations |
| 14 | Bookbinding | Bookbinding ; book cover ; courtesy ; corruption | Academic library | Management |
| 15 | Animal rights | Equal treatment ; hunting ; neutrality ; animal rights activists | Public library | Use |
| 16 | Negro king | Children′s books ; political correctness ; racism ; text authenticity | Public library | Collection development |
| 17 | Homework exchange | Fraud ; filtering software ; homework exchange ; internet access ; obtaining grades by fraud ; plagiarism | Academic library | Use |
| 18 | Bestseller service | Bestseller service ; range of services ; fees ; cost of freedom ; professionalism ; social commitment | Public library | Use |
| 19 | Gay parents | Homosexuality ; child protection; children′s books ; gay parents ; censorship | Public library | Use |
| 20 | Burka wearing | Acceptable use policy ; misogyny ; clothing ; cultural diversity ; religion | Public library Academic library | Use |
| 21 | Smell of urine | Harassment ; damage ; equal treatment ; smells ; media ; smell of urine | Public library Academic library | Use |
| 22 | Transvestite | Harassment ; transvestite | Public library Academic library | Use |
| 23 | Guttenberg | Development ; Guttenberg ; plagiarism ; tradition | Academic library | Development |
| 24 | Activities on first day of school | Enrolment ; corruption ; promotion of reading ; neutrality ; sponsorship | Public library | Public relations Management |
| 25 | Indexing term foreign infiltration | Development ; neutrality ; indexing | Public library Academic library | Development |
| 26 | Author reading | Author reading ; blackmail ; political pressure ; quality | Public library District library | Space allocation |
| 27 | Homophobia | Exhibition ; homophobia ; homosexuality ; caricature ; artistic freedom ; freedom of expression ; censorship | City public library | Use |
| Case description: | For some time, the librarian has noticed a young, obviously anorexic girl who visits the library at regular intervals. Now the librarian observes by chance that the clearly underage girl visits pages on the internet that explain how to hide food, stimulate gastric emptying and accelerate weight loss. Should the parents be notified or do privacy and confidentiality take precedence? |
| Potential solution 1: | The librarian ignores her concerns. Does it really make a difference whether the girl carries out her research in the library or in a different place? Seeking contact with the parents would represent a major breach of trust. Assessment :
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| Potential solution 2: | The librarian makes use of library user data to determine the address of the parents and she makes contact with them. She informs them of her observation. The parents are grateful for pointing this out and decide to persuade their daughter to go into therapy. Assessment :
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| Potential solution 3: | |
| Potential solution 4: | |
| References to values: Values: Professional ethics in Germany: | D 1.7 Protection of minors "We work on the basis of the Youth Protection Act and other statutory regulations for the protection of children and young people from content that is not suitable for them.” D 1.8 Data protection: "We respect our clients′ privacy. Personal data will be saved only to ensure service delivery and only within the legal framework. We will share personal data with other institutions only as required by law." |
| References to values: Values: International professional ethics (IFLA): | I 2.7 Protection of minors “Librarians and other information workers respect the protection of minors while ensuring this does not impact on the information rights of adults.” I 3.1 Data protection: “Librarians and other information workers respect personal privacy, and the protection of personal data, necessarily shared between individuals and institutions.” I 3.2 Confidentiality: "The relationship between the library and the user is one of confidentiality and librarians and other information workers will take appropriate measures to ensure that user data is not shared beyond the original transaction." |
| Further values: | |
| References: | Buchanan, Elizabeth A., Kathrine A. Henderson: Case Studies in Library and Information Science Ethics. Jefferson, NC, London 2009, p. 10. |
| Metadata: | |
| Title: | Anorexic girl |
| Keywords | Data protection ; protection of minors ; anorexia ; responsibility ; confidentiality |
| Classification | Data protection : user behaviour |
| Type of library | Public library |
| Place: | Anywhere |
| Type of activity | Use |
| References to values | |
| Author: | Buchanan/Henderson |
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