Section 1
Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of those principles within that profession.

Section 1A: Competency Description and Scope
Public librarians' decisions and actions are informed by professional standards of values, ethics, and principles. These standards are best expressed in two important documents from the American Library Association (ALA), the Code of Ethics. and the Bill of Rights. The Code of Ethics was first created in 1939 but has been updated multiple times, most recently in 2021 (American Library Association, 2021). Its nine tenets focus on the behavior of librarians, who are encouraged to uphold intellectual freedom, provide unbiased and courteous service to patrons, and protect the privacy and confidentiality of library users, among other things. The Library Bill of Rights, first adopted by the ALA in 1939 and most recently updated in 2019, focuses more on the rights of patrons and the institutional behavior or libraries, rather than that of librarians (American Library Association, 2019b). It encourages libraries to challenge censorship, to provide resources and meeting rooms to the communities they serve without bias, and to ally themselves as institutions with others who defend freedom of speech and freedom of access.

Both of these documents, the Code of Ethics and the Library Bill of Rights, are supported and informed by a number of other essential documents, including the ALA's Core Values of Librarianship. The Core Values include access, confidentiality/privacy, democracy, diversity, education and lifelong learning, intellectual freedom, preservation, the public good, professionalism, service, social responsibility, and sustainability (American Library Association, 2019a). These core values provide a broader background to inform the decisions and behavior of librarians. It is when these values conflict that librarians run into ethical dilemmas and should consult documents such as the Library Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethics.

Section 1B: Importance to the Profession
The principles and commitments in these core ALA documents may seem abstract, but librarians rely on them in tangible, real-world situations on a daily basis. Currently, book bans and challenges are on the rise in the United States. In the first 8 months of 2023, there were 20% more attempts to censor books in libraries across the US compared to the same period in 2022, already a record-setting year for book challenges (ALA, 2023). Censorship can come in many forms. Recently, the group Moms for Liberty challenged a Pride display at a California library by checking out all the books in the display; their goal was to prevent any other patrons from seeing or checking out these LGBTQ+ friendly books (Hyson & Bowler, 2023). Regardless of what form they take, book bans, challenges, and censorship directly contravene the principles of the Library Bill of Rights, which exhorts librarians to "challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment" (ALA, 2019b). Librarians thus have an ethical obligation to fight censorship in whatever form it takes.

Librarians must develop their professional values and ethics for many other real-world uses. Another core value for librarians is access, meaning that "all information resources that are provided directly or indirectly by the library, regardless of technology, format, or methods of delivery, should be readily, equally, and equitably accessible to all library users" (ALA, 2019a). The topic of equitable access is key here. Librarians who focus on equitability acknowledge the differences between individuals, even within the same demographic. Kosmicki (2019) writes that "a library hoping to achieve greater social equity aims to infuse generalized and inclusive programming and services with openness to the potential and dynamic of each individual to address the specific needs of vulnerable populations" (p. 53). Patrons experiencing homelessness, for example, do not all have the same barriers to access. By recognizing the diverse needs of many different patrons, librarians can more equitably serve their communities.

Section 2
Here I will provide three evidentiary items for Competency A.

Section 2A: Preparation
To prepare for this competency, I took a variety of classes that helped me understand the values and ethics of librarianship. In INFO 204: Information Professions with Dr. Deborah Hicks, for example, I learned about different types of ethical systems, such as deontology and utilitarianism, and I discussed their application with my peers in online discussions. In INFO 210: Reference Services with Dr. Jose Aguiñaga, I learned about providing equitable access to patrons and fighting censorship within libraries. Through INFO 210, I also interned with the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) Jail and Reentry Services (JARS) program, for which I responded to reference questions from incarcerated library patrons by mail. This was an eye-opening experience, and it greatly expanded my idea of who the public library is for (everyone!). The topic of accessibility was also addressed in INFO 240: Information Technology Tools and Applications with Raymond Dean. In this course, I learned how to build a website from code while using ADA principles of web design to make sites accessible to all.

My work as a bookseller at a local bookshop and as a library page at the San Francisco Public Library has given me the chance to put what I learned in the classroom about values and ethics into practice. Working with the public, I engage with a diverse range of customers and patrons: the housed and unhoused, recent immigrants and fifth-generation San Franciscans, the very young and the no-longer young, and everyone in between. At the library, serving so many different types of people gives me the chance to provide access to library information and resources, protect patrons' confidentiality, promote lifelong education and intellectual freedom, and otherwise uphold the values and ethics of librarianship.

Section 2B: Evidence

Evidentiary Object 1: INFO 204 Jail and Reentry Services (JARS) Essay
This is an essay that I wrote for INFO 210: Reference Services taught by Dr. Jose Aguiñaga after I interned with the SFPL's JARS program. For this internship, I read and responded to three reference requests from incarcerated individuals. My essay describes the requests that I received, analyzes barriers to access for incarcerated individuals, and addresses a shift in my understanding of providing access to

In this assignment, my understanding of community, service, and access to the public library changed and expanded. I internalized the value that librarians are called upon to provide equitable access to information for all patrons, including those who are incarcerated. The essay I wrote demonstrates that I understand the ways in which the Library Bill of Rights applies to a real world situation. When I discuss how libraries could address our societal digital access gap by fighting for greater computer training and access in prisons, I show my understanding of one way in which libraries could fulfill its ethical obligation to promote access to information.

Evidentiary Object 2: INFO 204 Activity Ethics Case Studies
For this activity in INFO 204: Information Professions with Dr. Deborah Hicks, I analyzed a real-world ethical dilemma in which the Seattle Public Library had to decide to host a controversial group or not. The short essay I wrote demonstrates my competency in this area because I had to weigh the value of affirming the dignity of all individuals against the value of providing space to all community members.

I used this essay to examine my personal biases and beliefs and establish my belief in the ethical duty of librarians to protect under-served and threatened communities. This assignment demonstrates my understanding of the real world issues to which librarians must apply their values and ethics. My descriptions of possible actions that the Seattle Public Library could take, I show my competency at navigating difficult situations while staying true to the profession's ethics and values.

Evidentiary Object 3: INFO 284 Book Burning Display
This is a display that I made for INFO 284: the History of Books with Dr. Linda Main. The display shows my mastery of Competency A because I demonstrate an understanding of book burning and censorship on a global and historic level. The hatred and destruction of books that I describe in this exhibit surpass the current efforts to suppress books in the US.

An understanding of the worst cases of book censorship helps me to understand why librarians are committed to freedom of information and the right to read. This display demonstrates my understanding of the issues at hand when librarians fight for their values and ethics. When I discuss historical and more recent instances of book burning, I show that I understand that the library's fight against censorship and book banning is an ongoing issue with significant consequences.

Section 3: Conclusion
Moving toward the future, I look forward to applying the ethics and values that I learned in the classroom and in my jobs at my future place of employment. I feel that I have internalized the ethics and values of the profession and anticipate finding ways to fight for the freedom to read, to provide greater access to information, and to protect the inherent dignity of all patrons. However, I also know that the real world can offer complex ethical choices. When these moments arise, I will rely on my training and the documents provided by the ALA, such as the Code of Ethics and the Library Bill of Rights, to inform my actions.

 
References
American Library Association (2019a). Core Values of Librarianship. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues

American Library Association (2019b). Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/

American Library Association (2021, June 29). Code of Ethics. https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics

American Library Association (2023). Banned and Challenged Books. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data

Hyson, K., & Bowler, M. (2023, July 5). Q&A: The response to an anti-LGBTQ+ protest at a San Diego library. KPBS. https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2023/07/05/q-a-the-response-to-an-anti-lgbtq-protest-at-a-san-diego-library

Kosmicki, L. R. (2019). Equal access as social equity: A literature review of  programming and services in public libraries. Progressive Librarian, 47, 51-80. http://www.progressivelibrariansguild.org/PL/PL47.pdf#page=53

Metzger, H. (2022). Reference services for incarcerated people [Unpublished paper]. School of Information. San José State University.