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Unit 14: Library Profession

14.3 Librarianship as a Profession Notes

A Code of Professional Ethics for Librarians describes that “The goal of librarianship is to mediate
between humanity and humanity’s store of recorded knowledge and information; to encourage an informed,
enlightened and empowered citizenry; and to join with others in the fight for intellectual freedom and access
to information.” To build up this image for the library and information profession, and to establish
quality, a set of ethical codes has to be formulated and is to be practiced by librarians and
information professionals. But before we get to discuss these codes; we shall see to what extent
librarianship can be deemed to be a profession.

Notes In the competitive world every craft, trade or occupation exerts itself to achieve this
honorific title of a ‘profession’ which symbolises status and position in society. Librarianship
is one such occupational category which is aspiring for this honorific title which entitles it
for higher status, position, income and so on in society.

The generally recognized professions, such as medicine, law, have certain characteristics or
attributes that are enumerated below:

Extensive period of training (usually formal education);
Dominance of intellectual component in work activities;
Expertise;
Service orientation;
Altruistic motivation;
Self-motivation;
Autonomy.
Another set of criteria for a vocation to be considered a profession, is as follows:

A fairly complex, personalized client-professional relationship - usually involving a fee;
A certain amount of independence on the part of the professional (he is rarely closely
supervised, and is rarely responsible to anyone to a greater degree than he is to his client;)
A clear-cut body of professional technique and practice held in common by all practitioners;

A professional association with real power i.e. power of enforcement and power of
certification.
Taking into consideration these sets of criteria, librarianship cannot, perhaps, be placed on par
with the more well-established professions like medicine, law, accountancy, etc. However,
there is certainly a clear-cut body of professional techniques in librarianship that would involve
its recognition as a profession. Librarianship in various degrees fulfils some of the other
characteristics like intellectual component, expertise, service orientation, altruistic motivation,
self-motivation and autonomy. The Five Laws of Library Science of Ranganathan also provide
the right set of guiding principles that could govern and motivate persons towards service
orientation; intellectual involvement in developing tools and techniques and a body of
professional knowledge to get recognition for librarianship as a profession.
The Library Association of U.K. recognized the importance of and an urgent need for giving
some broad definition of professional library work to indicate to employers the particular skills
which professional librarians can bring to oraganisations, and to help librarians themselves to
identify and assert the special skills which they have. One of the reasons for low pay and none
too complimentary images of professionals is undoubtedly the fact that there is a lack of clarity,

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