Professional Philosophy
Developing a sound professional philosophy is not an easy task. In a nutshell, it should address one's beliefs, concepts, values, and attitudes regarding one's profession. A professional philosophy effects the decisions one makes and the actions one takes. Education, environmental factors, and life experiences also influence one's philosophy. So it stands to reason that a philosophy is a dynamic statement that is in a constant state of evolution. When I first set out to define my professional philosophy I drew a blank. I then decided to start by describing the values that are important to me as an information professional hoping that doing so would later help me define my professional philosophy. This worked like a charm and to my amusement I ended up realizing what I had known all along. Here I follow the same step-by-step process that helped shape my philosophy. This means that I do not state my professional philosophy until the end.
As a future archivist I will always be bound by the core values of the profession as expressed in the American Library Association's (ALA) Code of Ethics. I look to these to guide my beliefs, concepts, and actions and to help me define my professional philosophy. The specific core values I wholly identify with are: equitable service and access, respect, integrity, intellectual freedom, and social responsibility. These are the principles that I stand for and hope to follow throughout my career as an information professional.
Libraries are important institutions in our communities as they satisfy the information needs of their users. Providing this important service and doing it well is the main tenet of our profession. As an information professional I recognize the importance of my job in connecting users to information and strive to focus my actions on delivering the highest quality of service to users. In order to do so, I will ensure that my organization offers collections, programs, and services that are accessible to all users. This is achieved by maintaining a finger on the pulse of the community and by knowing my users' characteristics and information needs in-depth. In addition, I strongly believe in offering equitable services regardless of race, gender, physical ability, age, or religion. Information access should be the same for everyone without prejudice or discrimination. As such, I aim to be attentive, compassionate, honorable, and helpful in my interactions with users. What will ensure that I provide a high quality service is my commitment to tailor help to the specific needs of each user. A good plan to accomplish this is to engage each user fully during the reference process through actively listening and asking plenty of focusing questions. Finally, I understand that we live in a world where change is the norm. In that respect I see continuing education as an essential component to my growth as a professional. Like this I will be up to date in emerging technologies and resources that I can, in turn, use to help users with their information needs. I also plan to nurture and maintain a network of professional relationships through membership and volunteering in information organizations. All of this will be to the benefit of my users and my professional growth.
Intrinsically related to the above principle is treating colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith. An institution is only as strong as the sum of its parts. Numerous studies have revealed that when people feel valued their commitment to the organization's mission and vision is stronger. Thus, it is important that each member of the staff knows the value and impact of his or her contributions. Regardless of my future title or position, I will ensure that my colleagues are aware of how significant their work is to the organization by regularly engaging them in feedback sessions, listening to their concerns, and maintaining open lines of communication among the staff. Additionally, I will advocate for conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees. I feel this can be achieved by mindfully bringing up any issues that I perceive could potentially be hazardous to the mental or physical health of the employees as well as engaging in devising solutions to address any problems.
My contributions to the profession will also be guided by my sense of integrity and strong commitment to our code of ethics. In our profession it is of the utmost importance that we do not let our personal beliefs influence the services we provide to the public. By the same token we should never use the institution's resources to advance our private interests. Doing so would compromise the responsibilities we have toward our organizations, betray the trust put on us by our colleagues and users, and interfere with our pledge to provide free and equitable access for all. As such, I am committed to distinguishing between my professional duties and my personal convictions so that I may adequately represent the mission of my organization as well as offer my audience quality service that is unbiased, non-judgmental, confidential, and fair.
A core value of the profession that is very dear to my heart is intellectual freedom. Information professionals serve a mighty purpose in society. "We significantly influence or control the selection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information. In a political system grounded in an informed citizenry, we are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and the freedom of access to information. We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations" (ALA, 2008). For people to be able to exercise this basic democratic right they must be well informed. This is accomplished with the help of information professionals and institutions such as libraries. As someone who was born and raised in Cuba, a tightly controlled society where information is heavily censored, I can unequivocally attest to the importance of upholding intellectual freedom to foster a society without fear of censorship, consequences or retaliation. Indeed, I pledge to secure the people's right to free and equitable access to information by continuously enforcing the elements of the core of ethics which will further ensure that I provide the highest level of service to users.
Our profession is one with a high degree of social responsibility as it directly impacts learning and the dissemination of information that is critical to forming well-informed contributing members of society. As librarians and information science professionals we are the ones helping advance literacy in our communities through the equitable access and dissemination of information. In this day and age it is staggering how many people in our country cannot read or write for whatever reason. This is particularly shocking to me as a former citizen of another country. Despite its economic problems, Cuba boasts a 99.8% literacy rate. This has been achieved by the conscientious effort of every citizen helping one another not only to fight illiteracy but also to encourage learning. While living there, I often volunteered to help teach children to read and that is something I plan to continue doing during my life as an information professional. In doing so I will be helping my community make strides in the education and social success of its citizens.
All of this brings me to stating my professional philosophy. In pursuing this profession I take a stance to make a difference in my community by actively contributing to its cultural, economic, educational and social well-being. In order to achieve this I pledge to understand my users by establishing compassionate and respectful lines of communication that allow me to fully identify with their information needs. I must also be cognizant of the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of information use and any other factors that may impede my users' access to information so that I can help address those issues adequately. Finally, I vow to contribute and volunteer in professional organizations or social programs that promote literacy and work to ensure that every citizen's right to the equitable access to information is respected and enforced. This is the morally and socially responsible thing to do.
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance (Andy McIntyre)
Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age? (Erich Fromm)
The pen is mightier than the sword (Edward Bulwer-Lytton)
References
American Library Association. (2008). Code of Ethics. Retrieved August 28, 2008, from
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm