Professional ethics of a librarian, subject and specifics. Abstract: Code of Ethics of the Russian Librarian and the Problem of Library and Information Services. Professional competence is the ability to solve professional problems and tasks taking into account

Class norms of speech culture It is impossible to talk about English speech etiquette without mentioning classes, because any Englishman, as soon as he speaks, instantly reveals his belonging to one class or another. Perhaps this is true to some extent and

Appendix 5 Five motives for preserving a unified library network in the Kharabala region 1. Patriotic. The Kharabala Central Library is the only all-Russian base of excellence in the region, a pioneer of centralization, included in textbooks on the history of librarianship in Russia

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  during service, the librarian must be entirely “at the disposal” of the reader and strive to demonstrate this to him;
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  you should work calmly, be smooth in communication with all readers, polite and friendly;
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  if the reader is not sympathetic to the librarian, under no circumstances should you show this to him;
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  it is unacceptable to argue with the reader;
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  you should always be willing to help the reader, but do it carefully and unobtrusively;
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  The librarian must constantly look at the library “through the eyes of the reader.”

Library ethics abroad

If we compare the Russian Code with similar documents from other countries (and the need for such a comparison is due to the “youth” of our document), we will see that in general it corresponds to the principles that have already become widespread in our professional environment.

In this area, we note the following most frequently encountered statements: priority of user interests; equal rights for all users; maintaining confidentiality. Almost all library communities in the countries included in the book “Library Ethics...” put the interests of the user above all else.

As noted in the Italian Librarian Code of Conduct, “The Code of Conduct is an ethical code binding on the professional librarian, it is not a code of legal provisions.” This situation is typical, but not the only one; in a number of countries (for example, Codes of Great Britain, Mexico), a librarian who has violated the code is forced to appear before a disciplinary committee or commission with broad powers, up to and including recognition of inadequacy for the position held, with well-defined consequences. During the preparation of the Code of Ethics for Russian Librarians, the issue of creating an Ethics Council at the RBA was discussed, but it did not receive support due to the fact that, as noted, “the activities of such a structure may contribute to the development of undesirable phenomena.” Such a decision is motivated not so much professionally as historically situationally - as a consequence of today’s negative attitude towards the activities of the “councils”, and towards public discussion of actions, from the point of view of their moral assessment. In a number of countries that are not burdened by the complex of an “inferior past,” the issue is resolved differently. Interesting in this regard are professional courts of honor, which also play a certain role in the library environment.

Let's take a closer look at one of the most famous codes of a professional library organization, which served as the basis for many similar ones - the Code of Professional Ethics of the American Library Association. Adopted for the first time in 1939, it was periodically refined and supplemented, although the basic principles contained in it remained unchanged. If we compare the current Code of 1995 and the previous one, 1981, it becomes clear that in addition to editorial clarifications, the changes affected the introduction of two new points: recognition and respect for intellectual property rights (clause 4); the pursuit of high professional standards, the exchange of knowledge and experience, encouraging the professional development of staff and attracting potential members of the library profession (clause 8).

Almost all standards of professional ethics are related to the rights of readers. In this sense, the American Code, being the basis for the formation of corporate morality, is more open than any other, simultaneously fulfilling the role of a professional declaration of its responsibilities towards the reader.

A document of a slightly different kind is at the heart of the activities of another oldest library association in the world - Great Britain . This is the Code of Professional Conduct, adopted in 1983 and revised in 1996. Its main difference is that it is more imperative: if codes of professional ethics are in the nature of a statement of free will, professing any principles, then all articles of the UK Code begin with the fixation: “must”, “obliged”. The existence of a disciplinary committee within the Association allows for real control and imposition of sanctions on librarians who violate the Code. At the same time, such a Committee can take an active position when a conflict between the librarian and the administration arises.

Among the recently adopted documents is the Code of Ethics for Librarians of Ukraine , approved by the Ukrainian Library Association on May 30, 1996. Basically, this Code corresponds to the principles of similar documents that we have already mentioned. At the same time, some principles are not specific to the library profession and sound like a declaration of human decency: “we adhere to universal principles of morality, humanism,” “we respect human dignity.” Another specific feature of the Code is that it is country specific:

Provides library and information services in the context of the development of democratic independent Ukraine;

Ensures the preservation and enrichment of the spiritual values ​​of the people of Ukraine, promotes the development of national cultures.

Familiarization with codes is useful not only for those who are interested in issues of library ethics. Each code of ethics practically concentrates the ideology, the paradigm for the development of librarianship in its country. These are the goals and objectives of libraries, principles of relationships with readers and colleagues, with higher authorities and government bodies, attitude towards cultural heritage and emerging information flows.

Thus, the professional ethics of a librarian exist primarily to serve library patrons well. Therefore, the compilers of the codes are convinced that the first law of professional ethics should be service to readers. The reader may not fully appreciate the efforts of the librarian, but the conscientious performance of their professional duties by library staff contributes to greater trust on the part of readers, and adherence to ethical standards is the best way to strengthen the status of libraries.

References:

1. 
   Altukhova, G.A. Why doesn't the code of ethics work? / G.A. Altukhova // Library. – 2003. - No. 8. – P. 71-73.
2. 
   Library ethics in countries around the world. [Collection of codes] / comp. V. R. Firsov, I. A. Trushina. - St. Petersburg: Publishing house Ross. national b-ki, 2002. – 156 p.
3. 
   Library services: Textbook. program: Textbook. method. materials / Comp. V.S. Kreidenko.- St. Petersburg: SPbGAK, 1997.- 94 p.
4. 
   Borovik G.I. Librarian and reader: interaction and mutual influence / G.I. Borovik // The world of libraries today. - 1996. - Issue 1. - P. 20-26.
5. 
   Dvorkina, M.Ya. Luxury and poverty of library communication / M.Ya. Dvorkina // Librarian. – 1990. - No. 11. – P. 18-20.
6. 
   Dvorkina, M.Ya. And ethics and etiquette / M.Ya. Dvorkina, Yu.P. Melentyeva // Library. – 2004. - No. 3. – P. 33-34.
7. 
   Ivanova, A.Yu. Once again about the code / A.Yu, Ivanova // Library. – 1998. - No. 9. – P. 57-58.
8. 
   Conflict situations in library communication and their resolution: Methodology: Tests: Trainings: Method. rec. / Ross. State B-ka; Comp. O.I. Reshetnikova.- M.: RSL, 2005.- 96p.
9. 
   Matlina, S.G. Library service as a dialogue / S.G. Matlina // Library Science. - 1990. - No. 6. - P. 43-51.
10. 
    Meizhis, I.A. Social and psychological foundations of library services: Textbook. allowance / I.A. Meydzhis.- Nikolaev, 1994.- 192 p.

2.5. Library etiquette

The great interest that library specialists show in professional morality invariably leads to their concentration on library etiquette.

Etiquette is a set of rules of behavior that characterize the external manifestation of attitude towards people. These are prescribed rules that direct human activity to express respect, goodwill, tact, commitment and attention to others. This includes forms of addresses and greetings, behavior with others. To understand etiquette as certain forms of relationships between people, it is necessary to answer the following questions: what are the rules of good manners, how they are applied in the library, how to understand good and bad manners.

The creation of etiquette rules is caused by social necessity. A person lives in everyday contacts with people. These relationships must be governed by certain rules of conduct. Compliance by a librarian with professional etiquette presupposes an everyday benevolent and respectful attitude towards all library visitors, regardless of their social status, position, age, appearance, etc. Compliance with the rules of etiquette reveals the culture of a professional and the appropriate level of his education.

Let's establish a connection between ethics and etiquette. Ethics expresses the moral side of an act, it justifies and interprets ethical standards of behavior, etiquette is a prescribed set of rules that a person must follow in order to be included in a certain culture, in human society. The rules of etiquette do not replace moral feelings; they are the external form of their manifestation.

Professional ethics of a librarian studies the moral aspect of the norms and rules of professional behavior of library workers. Over the years, rules of office etiquette have been developed. They mean favorable communication in the library environment, a polite, helpful attitude towards library visitors and colleagues. These rules prohibit rudeness and bickering, distraction from one’s duties, and require a sensitive, attentive attitude towards fellow workers. A librarian who follows the rules of official etiquette develops such traits as politeness, tact, accuracy, diligence and commitment.

Etiquette rules are especially necessary for a librarian in conflict situations. In such cases, these rules serve as a means of protecting the employee from insults and tactlessness of ill-mannered readers. In addition, the rules of etiquette relieve the librarian of the need to find the right form of behavior in each specific interaction.

The rules of etiquette require the librarian to greet the visitor with a friendly smile (an external form of showing goodwill). After all, a smile at a meeting serves as a sign that you are happy about this meeting. The ancient Chinese proverb “A man without a smile on his face should not open a store” can easily be redirected to a librarian who should not open a library without a smile. Those who visit foreign libraries are pleasantly surprised, first of all, by the joyful smile of the librarian, the atmosphere of goodwill and openness, which already from the threshold of the library immerses the reader in the world of high culture.

A librarian's manners are important when communicating with readers and colleagues. Office etiquette requires the librarian to sit upright at the table when lending literature, without lounging or leaning on it, or leaning back in the chair. At the same time, the elbows are on the table, the shoulders are at the same height, the head and neck are slightly lowered.

The elegance of the librarian’s manners is clearly expressed in the address to the reader: “Good afternoon, how can I be useful (useful)?” In this case, a friendly and benevolent facial expression is very important.

The facial expression reflects a person’s emotions; the whole gamut of experienced feelings is “written” on it: joy and despair, love and hatred, benevolence and contempt. However, the degree of this reflection always depends on the level of a person’s culture and ability to manage their behavior. The culture of a librarian is to be able to control the expression of his face, to try to ensure that only positive emotions are reflected on it, promoting joyful, benevolent communication in the library.

The opposite of natural, good behavior is unnaturalness, relying on an external effect, which leads to mannerism. Bad habits and bad manners do not contribute to the trust and respect of the reader towards the librarian.

During the working day, the librarian constantly finds himself in a situation of visual contact. Looking into the eyes is a great art. It means being interested in what is being said to you, focusing on the speech. However, a direct, unblinking gaze can confuse the interlocutor. As experts note, in order to create a confidential atmosphere of conversation, it is useful to meet the interlocutor’s gaze for a few seconds during the first visual contact, and then look at the bridge of the nose or the left earlobe, which creates the effect as if the person was looking into the eyes. Eye contact helps regulate conversation. If the speaker either looks into the interlocutor's eyes or looks away, this means that he has not finished speaking yet. When finishing, the speaker will definitely look into the eyes, thereby saying that he has finished speaking. It is easier to maintain eye contact during a pleasant conversation, admiring the other person. During an unpleasant conversation, people often avoid looking each other in the eyes.

The etiquette form of communication between the librarian and the reader is to maintain interpersonal space. Even when the librarian sits at his desk, there is already a subordination, a distance acceptable for communication in the library.

There is a certain limit to the rapprochement of interlocutors. Typically, the more interested they are in each other, the closer they sit or stand from each other. The distance between them depends on the type of interaction between people. Psychologists have identified the following acceptable boundaries of communication:

Intimate distance (up to 0.5 m) corresponds to close relationships; can occur in sports, in those types where there is contact between the bodies of athletes;

Interpersonal distance (0.5-1.2 m) - for talking between friends with or without contact with each other;

Social distance (1.2-3.6 m) - for informal, social and business relationships, with the upper limit more consistent with formal relationships;

Public distance (3.6 m or more) - at this distance it is not considered rude to exchange a few words or refrain from answering questions.

It has been established that distances affect people’s well-being: the closer people are to each other, the less they look at each other, as if as a sign of mutual respect. On the contrary, when they are at a distance, they look at each other more and use gestures to maintain attention in a conversation.

These rules vary significantly depending on gender, age and cultural level. Social status also influences the distance in communication. It would not occur to us to reduce the distance in communication with our boss to a minimum, but with people of equal status we will communicate at a short distance, with relatives and loved ones we will reduce this distance to a minimum. Traditions are important here. A prim Englishman will not allow a stranger to come close to him; a southerner himself will strive for close contact.

The table plays an important role in the library. He is like a symbol of power, a control panel for relationships. If the librarian wants a more trusting relationship with the reader, he will leave the table and lead the reader to a book exhibition or to open access, to catalogs, and look through the card index with him. Here the distance between the interlocutors will be significantly reduced.

Communication between librarian and reader begins with a greeting. This is an important etiquette norm that determines the future relations of the interlocutors. The significance of this greeting was accurately defined by the poet V. Soloukhin:

Hello!

Having bowed, we said to each other,

Even though we were complete strangers,

Hello! -

What special things did we say to each other?

Just “hello”, we didn’t say anything else.

Why is there a drop of sunshine in the world?

Why has there been a little more happiness in the world?

Why has life become a little more joyful?

(From the poem "Hello")

Despite the obligatory etiquette form of greeting, the librarian faces many problems during the greeting procedure. The reader may not say hello, although according to etiquette, the one who enters the room greets first. For educational purposes, the librarian decides to say hello first, although this would be a violation of etiquette rules and could introduce dissonance into the communication process. Here we will not talk about observing the rules of etiquette, but about making an ethical decision by a librarian.

The greeting process will also make adjustments to the role situation (a timid reader and a librarian confident in his rightness, a cordial librarian and a reader grateful for his friendliness, an indifferent librarian and a reader irritated by his inattention, etc.).

When greeting, intonation and timbre of the voice are important. From them you can immediately determine a person’s mood, because feelings find their expression regardless of the words spoken. Anger and sadness, nervousness or depression, joy and admiration are usually easily recognized. The strength and pitch of the voice give their signals. Reflects the speaker's feelings and the speed of speech, the pace at which it is pronounced.

Posture and gestures will say a lot when greeting. Leaning is perceived as a courtesy. It is inconvenient to talk to a person who turns away or sits slumped in a chair when the visitor is standing. Hand gestures matter. For example, arms crossed over the chest indicate a skeptical, defensive attitude. Quietly lying or lowered hands are about openness and trust.

Etiquette forces the librarian to choose the form of addressing the reader. Addressing “you” primarily indicates a person’s culture. And of course, it emphasizes respect for the person with whom the librarian is talking. This pronoun is used in an official setting, when dealing with unfamiliar people, and with elderly people. A sense of tact will tell the librarian in what form to address the young reader. Here, the form of appeal will depend on the target and reader purpose of the event (conversation, appeal during the game, when recommending literature), on the situation and circumstances that affect the communication between the librarian and the young reader.

Since the telephone has actively entered into library practice, it is necessary to remember the etiquette rules associated with telephone conversations. It is important to answer the phone call immediately, do not forget to say hello, and maybe introduce yourself, and only then start the conversation. The librarian's voice should be friendly, inviting the interlocutor to communicate. Three words must be used in a telephone conversation: “thank you”, “please”, “sorry”. A librarian should always be correct in a telephone conversation, avoid irritation, let alone anger, and, of course, not hang up without ending the conversation.

Private conversations in the presence of the reader are not permitted. By committing this violation of etiquette, the librarian is clearly neglecting his official duties and showing, whether he wants it or not, disdain for the people around him.

The profession of a librarian requires adherence to etiquette in clothing and appearance. A librarian’s clothing corresponds to his internal culture and depends on the specific situation, position in society, age, etc. Bright expensive clothes, exquisite hairstyles, an abundance of jewelry, and bright cosmetics are inappropriate in a library environment. In the history of the development of libraries, we know examples when the library form was introduced into use, for example, A. N. Olenin introduced it in the St. Petersburg Public Library. In the practice of foreign libraries and in some Russian libraries, identification badges are used, which greatly facilitate the reader’s communication with the librarian, and instill in the librarian a sense of responsibility and self-respect.

We also include the role of design in the library as etiquette forms. If a professional artist works in a library, he takes care of the correct color scheme of the interior, tastefully designs visual materials, takes care of the well-being of both the librarian and the reader, taking into account the psychological impact of the color scheme by decorating the rooms in which they work.

We also include all developing forms of business correspondence in libraries as etiquette forms. If correspondence etiquette is not observed, relationships with friendly organizations, colleagues, and friends will most likely deteriorate. Etiquette in this case prescribes compliance with accepted rules of correspondence and promptly responding to letters.

Service letters, as a rule, are written in the prescribed form, on a typewriter, only on the front side of the sheet. The paper must be white and the envelope must be of the same quality as the paper.

The form of the letter is important. The letter can be divided into: heading, date, name and address of the recipient, introductory address, main text, final form of politeness, instructions for attachments. In library practice, postcards are widely used as a form of official writing. This is often a reminder that books are overdue for return. Despite the fact that the content of the message is strict and official, its form should be polite and friendly, expressing respect for the personality of the addressee.

As we can see, adherence to etiquette significantly influences the librarian’s authority and facilitates her work with readers.