Gregory Hill LIS 600 November 26, 2012

Professional Values Statement Values, E !erien"e, an# $eality As stated by Milton Rokeach, value stems from an enduring belief that a specific mode of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state existence (Lester, p. !". Additionally, each value held has brought about an additional benefit in

relation to my life existence# some values may be stauncher than others, but each has played a significant part in the shaping of my overall character. $he systems developed out of our values may signify the mores, customs, and traditions derived from practice or religious guidance# if the guidance is spiritual in nature then that stated by Armin %assehi holds true as &ell. '(n the one hand it sho&s that the primordial order of the &orld seems forever remote from man)s kno&ledge '(%assehi, p. **+". As humans, there remains only so much that &e)re able to comprehend# as long as &e exist, &e &ill be forever bound by our divine association to a greater spiritual force &hich is the cause for our very being. As much as , &ould like to believe in an unmitigated value system, there remains a part of me that kno&s for existence to be fully experienced, &e must remain fluid to the extent that &e are free from rigidity. ,n a field of constant flux, librarianship profits &hen those of the profession share in the belief of thought fluidity. As it pertains to changes impacting the field, variations &ill inevitably occur &hich affects the mode of operation for libraries, librarians, and most important of all the patrons served. ,n fact, it never occurred to me that someday , &ould enter into the field of librarianship as a result of being hired as library assistant at Livingstone -ollege. .rom the first fe& months of employment, and after countless conversations &ith the /irector of Library 0ervices, reference librarian and circulation librarian, it became clear that , &ould have to further my education to find solace in my 1ob duties. $hrough research, ,)ve discovered that many library assistants are e2uipped to perform my

tasks &ith only a high school diploma. Also, &ithout a &ithout a Master)s /egree, the routine &ould 2uickly become mundane, and any positive &ork morale &ould soon dissipate due to the lack of professionalism related to my 1ob duties. ,n less than a year)s time, my &ork morale began to shift from being overly optimistic to 2uestioning my o&n abilities in relation to my 1ob performance. , thought , en1oyed my &ork, but there &ere moments in &hich , thought of the information needed to become a professional in the field, and my conscience only pushed me more in furthering my education so that &hen , embark on my &ork day, there is an added element of respect that is infused into my values. 3eing respected by those in the field of librarianship highly motivated me to enroll into the ML,0 program. %o longer could , go through the motions of &ork, but , needed to have the peace of mind that accompanies the master in his or her selected field of study. Looking back on the past fe& years of my life, the hardships and pleasantries encountered &ere all colors needed to be added to the canvas of my life. 0ince &e)re all artists, painters using the broad stroke of life, &e)re all bound to have uni2ueness in relation to ho& our character is presented for the &orld to see. 0o &ith this being said, our values give us our experiential kno&ledge, and from this &e arrive out our o&n reality of ho& the ob1ective &orld is identified around us. My professional values are very important to me, and , hold these values to be of upmost importance in terms of developing professionally. ,. ,,. ,,,. ,ntellectual .reedom Access 4rivacy

Intelle"tual %ree#om ,ntellectual freedom is one of the most important philosophies of mine, and &ithout the ability to be free for our intellectual pursuits, the libraries that many of us depend on for our livelihoods &ould not

be in existence today. As , decide on the philosophies that , hold dearest, , feel as if intellectual freedom should be granted for each and every human being alive today. $he ability to develop cognitively is one of the great treasures that humans have and it also differentiates us from other life forms, but the stifling of an act such as intellectual freedom &ould render the human family to be almost lifeless, except for remembrance of our physical capabilities, reliance on all things physical &ill reduce us to mere automatons. ,n a sense that the imaginative and intellectual gifts besto&ed upon man &ould be rendered useless if intellectual freedom is prohibited, this particular value gives us all the ability to be creators of our o&n ideas, and shapers of our o&n reality. $he creator of every ne& idea is likely to be regarded as some&hat unconventional, that is until this idea is examined, refined, then tested for its political, social, or moral applications. $his is an important measurement of the enduring effects of a value, and for intellectual freedom there has not been a component &ithin our society that has not benefitted from its application of use. $o stifle a nonconformist idea at its very inception &ould bring a halt to our democratic process. 5ith each action that mirrors an attempt to stop the process of intellectual freedom, one is able to see the need for the constant &eighing and selection from opposing vie&points that individuals rely upon as a source of strength that intellectual interests provides. $he issue of intellectual freedom reverberates throughout academia. ,n librarianship, there is no shortage of attempts being made to revised literature and this is often referred to as revisionism and library access. '$o meet the demands of academic freedom, libraries purchase and place denial literatures in their main collections, but such decisions do not come &ithout conse2uences (%elson, 677!, p.68". As indicated form the statement, the need to constantly meet the needs of academic freedom should be the aims of all libraries, ho&ever the point is that many students should remain a&are of the potential lack of tolerance that a&aits many on a path to&ards intellectual freedom. 9ristina L. %elson also states, '/efending the past has become defending freedom-of the press, of academic exploration, and of civil liberties: (%elson, 677!, p. 6!". ;o&ever, for those reading the material, it should be noted that one need not endorse every idea contained in the materials made available. ,ntellectual .reedom serves the

educational process by disseminating the kno&ledge and &isdom that is re2uired for gro&th of the mind and expansion of learning.

II& '""ess As intellectual freedom comprises a huge portion of my professional statement, the accessibility of that information is also vital as , make sure to never &ithhold materials from the patron. ,n the various capacities of my life, , have al&ays held a deep resentment for those &ho seek to suppress information. 0eeing myself suited for a career in &hich , have more control over accessibility of information, , &ill actively resist any attempts to th&art the patron)s full exercise of their creative endeavors. As a librarian, there are of course rules to be obeyed, but in a free intellectual environment, the prohibition on &hat items should be accessed or not often times creates more problems than it solves. , &ill then find myself operating from a point of reaction, and from the many discussions held in class the reactions are often debilitating for an intellectual environment to sustain. Access is also of importance as it highlights the need for more ethnic and racial diversity &ithin the library profession. 4atrons should not be the only individuals reflective of the diverse makeup of America# patron)s access to Librarians of a diverse background also further shapes the image many currently hold of libraries and librarians. $o dispel common stereotypes, libraries are to be &elcomed institutions to all, and regardless of race or ethnicity, library &orkers should be more diverse.

III& Priva"y 4rivacy is an important value because it gives us a sense of protection &ith respect to information being sought or received, materials consulted, borro&ed, or ac2uired. 4rivacy impacts not only our &orking relationships &ith other colleagues, but also the privacy of the patrons in regards to one)s

intellectual pursuits. Also, privacy may be applied to situations in &hich a librarian should avoid situations in &hich personal interests might be served, or financial benefits gained at the expense of library users, colleagues, or the employing institution.

$eferen"es <une Lester, 5. -. (8++=". Fundamentals of Information Studies. Understanding Information and Its Environment . %e& >ork, %>? %eal 0chuman 4ublishers , ,nc. %elson, 9. L. (677!". @rasing the ;orror? Revisionism and Library Access. Current Studies in Librarianship, Spring/Fall 199 , 68-67. %essehi, A. (8++*". !hat do !e "no# about "no#ledge$ %n Essa& on the "no#ledge So'iet&. -anadian <ournal of 0ociology.