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Unit 14: Library Profession

information needs of users, unprecedented increase in the volume and variety of information Notes
packages and societal changes. These developments generate new problems and issues that are
often creating conflicting approaches in setting ethical standards in professional performance.
However, the library and information professional bodies in USA and UK have come out with
codes of ethical standards for professional performance, although these codes are not mandatory
on professionals in their performance. In India, the subject of professional ethics in the practice
of librarianship is still to take roots, although the Indian Library Association (ILA); and the
Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Centres (IASLIC) have professional
ethics as an important aspect of work listed in their programme of activities. The purpose of this
unit is to enable the students to comprehend basic expressions. At the end of this unit, you
should be able to understand the concepts of ethics, profession, professionals, professionalism,
ethical codes and such other ideas.

14.1 Profession, Professionals and Professionalism

In order to understand properly the technical words relating to professional ethics, we shall
study their meanings and contents in this section.
The Random House Dictionary of English Language (RHD) defines:
A Profession, as an occupation, especially that one requiring extensive education in a branch of
science or the liberal arts; or the body of persons engaged in such an occupation. Synonymous
with ‘profession’ are words such as vocation, employment, occupation, business, trade – all refer
to the activity to which a person regularly devotes himself, especially his regular work, or
means of getting a living. Whereas ‘occupation’ is the general word to indicate an activity in
which a person is engaged for his living, ‘profession’ implies an occupation requiring special
knowledge and training in some field of science or learning.
A Professional is one who is engaged in an activity as a means of livelihood or for a gain or
pertaining to or connected with a profession.

Example: A professional tennis player; a researcher; a musician are all competent experts
in their respective occupations.

Profession has different meanings employment or trade that everyone has and exercises in
public. The professions are occupations that require specialized knowledge, educational training,
high-level control over the content of work, organization, self, altruism, the spirit of community
service and high ethical standards. Thus, Profession is a specialized activity of labour in a
society, and the person who performs it is called professional.
The essentials of a professional are:

gains the expertise through training/certification more often through college or graduate
degree such as psychology, law, medicine, nursing, architecture, accounting or engineering
who provides a service ensuring the result with a specified quality consistently

maintains high ethical standards
Professionalism is the professional character, spirit or methods, the standard practices of a
professional as distinguished from an amateur. An expertise is expected of professionals with
full involvement in and commitment to those who receive services from them.

Professionalism means just not possessing skills and competence to perform the professional
duties but also meticulous adherence to undeviating courtesy, honesty, integrity, objectivity
and responsibility in one’s dealings with clients/customers and associates, plus a level of
excellence that goes over and above the commercial considerations and legal requirements.

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