GLC Ethics & Professional Responsibilities 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A librarian at a Georgia public library discovers that a staff member has been using the library's printer to run a personal business. The most appropriate action is to:
- Ignore it since the amount is small
- Report the misuse of public resources to a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Confront the staff member directly and demand repayment
- Document it and wait for an annual review to address it
Correct answer: Report the misuse of public resources to a supervisor
Misuse of public resources must be reported through appropriate channels as a matter of professional and institutional ethics.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates the ethical principle of 'service' in librarianship?
- Prioritizing the needs of high-traffic patrons over others
- Providing responsive, helpful service to all community members equitably (Correct answer)
- Limiting service hours to reduce staff workload
- Offering premium services only to library card holders who pay annual fees
Correct answer: Providing responsive, helpful service to all community members equitably
The principle of service requires librarians to provide equitable, responsive assistance to all members of the community.
Question 3: A librarian receives a reference question about legal topics and realizes the patron may need legal advice beyond what information resources can provide. The ethical response is to:
- Provide a legal opinion based on library materials
- Offer information resources and refer the patron to legal aid services (Correct answer)
- Decline to assist since legal topics are outside library scope
- Contact an attorney on the patron's behalf
Correct answer: Offer information resources and refer the patron to legal aid services
Librarians provide information and referrals but must not practice law; referring patrons to appropriate legal services is the ethical response.
Question 4: Maintaining confidentiality of library records in Georgia applies to which of the following?
- Only records of adult patrons
- Records of all patrons, including juveniles (Correct answer)
- Only digital borrowing records
- Only records created in the past five years
Correct answer: Records of all patrons, including juveniles
Georgia's library confidentiality statute protects the records of all patrons, including minors, from unauthorized disclosure.
Question 5: A librarian chairs a hiring committee and realizes one applicant is a personal friend. The ethical action is to:
- Advocate strongly for the friend since you know their qualifications
- Recuse yourself from the committee to avoid a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Score the friend the same as others but not disclose the relationship
- Inform the committee but still participate in all decisions
Correct answer: Recuse yourself from the committee to avoid a conflict of interest
Recusing oneself from decisions involving personal relationships is the ethical way to prevent conflicts of interest in hiring.
Question 6: The ALA's 'Freedom to Read' statement primarily asserts that:
- Libraries must stock only peer-reviewed academic materials
- The freedom to read is essential to democracy and must be protected (Correct answer)
- Publishers bear full responsibility for the content they produce
- Reading materials for children must be approved by a parental committee
Correct answer: The freedom to read is essential to democracy and must be protected
The Freedom to Read statement asserts that the freedom to read is essential to a democratic society and that libraries must protect this right.
Question 7: When a library implements a new surveillance system, which ethical framework should guide decisions about data retention and access?
- Maximum data retention for the longest period possible for security
- Minimum data retention necessary, with strict access controls to protect patron privacy (Correct answer)
- Sharing footage with all library staff for transparency
- Retaining footage indefinitely in case it is needed for future legal purposes
Correct answer: Minimum data retention necessary, with strict access controls to protect patron privacy
Surveillance data should be retained only as long as necessary and access strictly controlled to uphold patron privacy rights.
GLC Ethics & Professional Responsibilities 5
A librarian at a Georgia public library discovers that a staff member has been using the library's printer to run a personal business.
The most appropriate action is to: