December_ITAL_fifarek_final


President’s	Message:		
Focus	on	Information	Ethics	 Aimee	Fifarek	

	

INFORMATION	TECHNOLOGIES	AND	LIBRARIES	|	DECEMBER	2016	 	 	

	

1	

Just	a	few	weeks	ago	we	held	yet	another	successful	LITA	Forum1,	this	time	in	Fort	Worth,	TX.		
Tight	travel	budgets	and	time	constraints	mean	that	only	a	few	hundred	people	get	to	attend	
Forum	each	year,	but	that	is	one	of	the	things	that	make	it	a	great	conference.		Because	of	its	size	
you	have	a	realistic	chance	of	meeting	everyone	there,	whether	it’s	at	Game	Night,	one	of	the	many	
networking	dinners,	or	just	for	during	hallway	chitchat	after	a	session.		And	the	sessions	really	do	
give	you	something	to	talk	about.	

This	year	I	couldn’t	help	but	notice	a	theme.		Among	all	the	talk	about	makerspace	technologies,	
analytics,	and	specific	software	platforms,	the	one	bubble	that	kept	rising	to	the	surface	was	
information	ethics.		Why	are	you	doing	what	you	are	doing	with	the	information	you	have,	and	
should	you	really	be	doing	it?		Have	you	stopped	to	think	what	impact	collecting,	posting,	sharing	
that	information	is	going	to	have	on	the	world	around	you?		In	a	post-election	environment	replete	
with	talk	of	fake	news	and	other	forms	of	deliberate	misinformation,	LITA	Forum	presenters	seem	
to	have	tapped	in	to	the	zeitgeist.		

Tara	Robertson,	in	her	closing	keynote2,	talked	about	the	harm	digitizing	analog	materials	can	do	
when	what	is	depicted	is	sensitive	to	individuals	and	communities.		Waldo	Jaquith	of	US	Open	Data	
talked	about	how	a	government	decision	to	limit	options	on	a	birth	certificate	to	either	“white”	or	
“colored”	effectively	wiped	the	native	population	out	of	political	existence	in	Virginia.		And	Sam	
Kome	from	Claremont	Colleges	talked	about	how	well-meaning	librarians	can	facilitate	privacy	
invasion	merely	by	collecting	operational	statistics3.		There	were	many	other	examples	brought	
out	by	Forum	speakers	but	these	in	particular	emphasized	the	real	consequences	the	serious	
consequences	the	use	of	data	–	intentional	or	not	–	can	have	on	people.	

I	think	it	is	time	for	librarians4	to	get	more	vocal	about	information	ethics	and	the	role	we	play	in	
educating	the	population	about	humane	information	use.		Our	profession	has	always	been	forward	
thinking	about	information	literacy	and	is	traditionally	known	for	helping	our	communities	make	
judgements	about	the	information	they	consume.		But	we	have	not	done	enough	to	declare	our	
expertise	in	the	information	economy,	to	stand	up	and	say	“we’re	librarians	–	this	is	what	we	do.”	

Now,	more	than	ever,	people	need	the	skills	to	think	critically	about	the	information	they	are	
consuming	via	all	kinds	of	media,	understand	the	consequences	of	allowing	algorithms	to	shape	
their	information	universe,	and	make	quality	judgments	about	trading	their	personal	information	
for	goods	and	services.		To	quote	from	UNESCO:	

	

Aimee	Fifarek	(aimee.fifarek@phoenix.gov)	is	LITA	President	2016-17	and	Deputy	Director	for	
Customer	Support,	IT	and	Digital	Initiatives	at	Phoenix	Public	Library,	Phoenix,	AZ.	



	
	

PRESIDENT’S	MESSAGE	|	FIFAREK	 	 	
https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v35i4.9602	

2	

	

Changes	brought	about	by	the	rapid	development	of	information	and	communication	
technologies	(ICT)	not	only	open	tremendous	opportunities	to	humankind	but	also	pose	
unprecedented	ethical	challenges.	Ensuring	that	information	society	is	based	upon	principles	
of	mutual	respect	and	the	observance	of	human	rights	is	one	of	the	major	ethical	challenges	of	
the	21st	century.5	

I	challenge	all	librarians	to	make	a	commitment	to	propagating	information	ethics,	both	personally	
and	professionally.		Make	an	effort	to	get	out	of	your	social	media	echo	chamber6	and	engage	with	
uncomfortable	ideas.		When	you	see	biased	information	being	shared	consider	it	a	“teachable	
moment”	and	highlight	the	spin	or	present	more	neutral	information.		And	if	your	library	is	not	
actively	making	information	literacy	and	information	ethics	part	of	its	programming	and	
instruction,	then	do	what	you	can	to	change	it.		Offer	to	be	on	a	panel,	create	a	curriculum,	or	host	
a	program	that	includes	key	concepts	relating	to	information	“ownership,	access,	privacy,	security,	
and	community”7.		The	focus	of	the	Libraries	Transform	campaign	this	year	is	all	about	our	
expertise:	“Because	the	best	search	engine	in	the	Library	is	the	Librarian”8	It’s	our	time	to	shine.	

REFERENCES	
	
1.		http://forum.lita.org/home/		

2.		http://forum.lita.org/speakers/tara-robertson/		

3.		http://forum.lita.org/sessions/patron-activity-monitoring-and-privacy-protection/		

4.		As	always,	when	I	use	the	term	“librarian”	my	intention	is	to	include	any	person	who	works	in	a	
library	and	is	skilled	in	information	and	library	science,	not	to	limit	the	reference	to	those	who	
hold	a	library	degree.	

5.		http://en.unesco.org/themes/ethics-information		

6.		https://www.wnyc.org/story/buzzfeed-echo-chamber-online-news-politics/		

7.		https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_ethics		

8.		http://www.ilovelibraries.org/librariestransform/