Listening to Martin talk about library ethics and intellectual freedom reminded me of how essential they are to everything we do at the library. One tweet, in particular, sums up much of what Martin presented and what I found so powerful.

Ethics are what make librarians different from the internet and bookstore or other information sources. #ula2016 #MartinGarnar

— Tina Bartholoma (@TLBookarian) May 6, 2016

Intellectual freedom isn’t just something that is important to librarians, intellectual freedom is what librarians do.  The relevance and sustainability of libraries is directly connected to how well we engender intellectual freedom and the many other ethics and values enumerated in the Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics .  Librarians ethical approach is one of the most important ways that they add value during the age of Google and Amazon.

Intellectual freedom is just one of librarianship’s core values that should be apparent in every program, policy, decision, and strategic plan.  We have codified and should embody the ethics of librarianship so that the public always knows and understands what we do, why we do it, and how we add value.

 As members of the American Library Association, we recognize the importance of codifying and making known to the profession and to the general public the ethical principles that guide the work of librarians, other professionals providing information services, library trustees and library staffs.