Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Librarians in Nigeria

Abstract

"Librarians and information scientists are imbued to serve people through the provision of access to quality information resources in either print or electronic formats through which people’s standard of living are improved, dreams are actualized, education is sustained, sound decisions are made and executed, freedom of expression is enhanced and information resources are preserved for posterity. The proliferation of information in different formats and the attendant complexity in retrieval processes have promoted and sustained the need for society to share resources, work, ideas and information. This provides the rationale for library and information practice. The belief in the need for human beings to share information and ideas implies the recognition of information rights as expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 19 which sets out the right to freedom of opinion, expression and access to information for all and the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas in any media, regardless of frontiers (IFLA, 2011). The Library as an institution exists for the benefit of a given constituency, whether it is the citizens of a community, members of an educational institution or some larger or more specialized group. Those who enter the library profession assume an obligation to maintain ethical standards of behaviour in relation to the governing authority under which they work, to the library constituency, to the library as an institution, to fellow workers, to colleagues and to society in general. IFLA (2011) posits that the core mission of library and information professionals is to facilitate access to information for all for personal development, education, cultural enrichment, economic activity and informed participation in and enhancement of democracy. Librarians do not encourage censorship, denial and restriction of information to anybody by any person or groups of persons and use the most efficient and effective methods and standards to serve their clientele."