LTA Professional Standards and Ethics 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which professional organization publishes the primary code of ethics followed by library technical assistants in the United States?
- Society of American Archivists (SAA)
- American Library Association (ALA) (Correct answer)
- Special Libraries Association (SLA)
- Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE)
Correct answer: American Library Association (ALA)
The American Library Association publishes the Code of Ethics that serves as the foundational ethical framework for library workers in the U.S.
Question 2: When weeding a library collection, an LTA removes books solely because they express views the LTA personally dislikes. This violates:
- Collection development policy and intellectual freedom principles (Correct answer)
- Patron privacy standards
- Copyright law
- CIPA compliance requirements
Correct answer: Collection development policy and intellectual freedom principles
Removing materials based on personal viewpoint rather than objective criteria violates both collection development policy and intellectual freedom principles.
Question 3: An LTA who uses their position to access patron records about a neighbor out of personal curiosity is committing:
- A minor policy infraction
- A serious ethical breach and potential legal violation (Correct answer)
- An acceptable action if the records are not shared
- A permitted act if the neighbor is also a library employee
Correct answer: A serious ethical breach and potential legal violation
Accessing patron records without a legitimate professional purpose is a serious ethical breach and may violate state library confidentiality statutes.
Question 4: The concept of 'due process' in a library workplace context means that an employee accused of a policy violation should:
- Be immediately terminated to protect the institution
- Receive a fair investigation and opportunity to respond before disciplinary action (Correct answer)
- Be reassigned to another department pending a patron vote
- Resign voluntarily to protect library reputation
Correct answer: Receive a fair investigation and opportunity to respond before disciplinary action
Due process requires that employees receive a fair investigation and the opportunity to respond to allegations before disciplinary action is taken.
Question 5: A library's policy states that staff must not use library computers for personal social media during work hours. An LTA who briefly checks personal messages is:
- Acting within professional norms since the check was brief
- Violating workplace policy regardless of duration (Correct answer)
- Compliant if no patron is waiting for assistance
- Acting appropriately during slow periods only
Correct answer: Violating workplace policy regardless of duration
Workplace policies apply regardless of the duration of the violation or current patron traffic — brief infractions are still policy violations.
Question 6: Which action best demonstrates an LTA's commitment to ongoing professional development?
- Reading only materials related to their specific job duties
- Attending workshops, pursuing certifications, and staying current with ALA guidelines and library trends (Correct answer)
- Focusing exclusively on improving patron circulation times
- Reviewing only the library's internal policy manual annually
Correct answer: Attending workshops, pursuing certifications, and staying current with ALA guidelines and library trends
Ongoing professional development includes attending training, pursuing certifications, and staying informed about evolving professional standards and trends.
Question 7: If a library technical assistant disagrees with a new library policy, the most professionally appropriate response is to:
- Ignore the policy and continue previous practices
- Express disagreement through proper channels such as staff meetings or direct communication with supervisors (Correct answer)
- Complain to patrons about the new policy
- Resign in protest without attempting internal resolution
Correct answer: Express disagreement through proper channels such as staff meetings or direct communication with supervisors
Professional ethics require raising disagreements through proper internal channels rather than ignoring policy, complaining to patrons, or taking drastic action.
LTA Professional Standards and Ethics 5
Which professional organization publishes the primary code of ethics followed by library technical assistants in the United States?