Information Ethics

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Information Ethics

Required Readings

Bishop 13
Repman & Dickinson pp. 68-69 (Fisher & Hill)

Standards

1.1D Adheres to and communicates legal and ethical policies
1.3D Complies with and communicates the legal and ethical codes of the profession
3.2A Models, shares, promotes ethical and legal principles of education and librarianship (in the Instructional Partner role)

Supplemental Resources

many are embedded below
Blog entry: 13Feb08
MAF's copyright notes
MAF's bookmarks: info-ethics; APA; plagiarism; copyright; copyleft
MAF's commentaries on Bishop: eLC 6340 Resources
Simpson (2005): an example of an authoritative copyright primer; you should have one such primer available in your media center.

Six Big Steps
Copyright is a huge topic. Here's a plan for becoming knowledgable:
1. Know what your duties are first.
2. Have a primer on hand for emergencies. Say "I'm not sure; I'll get back to you."
3. Read a basic overview. This is good: Copyright for Teachers & School Librarians (AAM)
4. Read a primer from start to finish (e.g., Simpson, 2005).
5. Know an expert. Ultimate authority is http://www.copyright.gov/.
6. Keep up-to-date by replacing your primer upon each new edition, and following professional literature.

Discussion Points

You must inform teachers formally every year; document. Recommended: provide a brochure or other small handout; perhaps introduce orally in a faculty meeting; get their sign-off each year. Include this procedure in your selection policy under copyright. Have a good primer on hand. Always be prepared to provide more information to staff members, and to research any copyright question. Some may be too complex, and need to be referred to your system support person.
Key idea: "fair use"
In the Selection Policy, Copyright Policy (or Information Ethics section): describes services you offer in support of intellectual property rights and ethical information use. Include the document or procedure used to disseminate copyright information annually. Reference an authority that you can readily use as an information source. Address the ethical information behavior expected of your students. Do not duplicate copyright law here, but it is appropriate to provide references to it.
The Copyright section of the Selection Policy should not attempt to duplicate legal explanations and lengthy details. Instead, condense the policy into a small document that references authoritative copyright information and requires school staff to follow the law. Alternatively, provide a pamphlet or other concise format borrowed (and cited) from elsewhere.
Emphasize helping staff to be ethical information users, rather than enforcing the rules yourself. Students must also follow the law, and must be guided in their learning to do so.
In the selection process, questions may arise about avoiding purchases of things that can be found for "free," or used in part under fair use. This is why your policy should reinforce the importance of copyright compliance, and why you should have a basic understanding of fair use in order to take advantage of your legal rights.
Referencing and creativity in assignment creation are the key weapons against plagiarism. The style itself is not important; we happen to use APA. Inline citations (in APA) or footnotes are the most direct ways to attribute ideas to their proper origins.
Highlights of copyright basics
Know what rights you're buying
Keep abreast by reading - expect annual changes. Useful readings, meetings include ...
Plagiarism is considered a big and growing problem. Luckily, a great deal of work has been done in this area. The proactive suggestions of Fisher and Hill (2004) are super. Some comments:

The famous plagiarism examples listed here are, obviously, dated. The Goodwin case is complex - we can discuss if there's interest.
I personally believe that Goodwin may have been guilty of no more than sloppy research - something we are all prone to do. She suffered profoundly from the ensuing scandal. It's a great reminder of how we can be personally inethical without meaning harm. Students will be susceptible as well.
Be careful that the negative enterprise of policing plagiarism not become the brand of your library. Use the proactive strategies suggested by Fisher and Hill to promote ethics rather than to be constantly hunting down transgressions.
Assignment design is key. Requiring both higher order thinking and original question generation improves assignments immensely. Some assignment topics, frankly, are so boring and redundant that students will naturally (although intethically) seek out the easily-found "wheels" that have already been "invented." Teach them to incorporate ethically, synthesize, evaluate, and move beyond the known to something new.

References

Bishop, K. (2007). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and information scources (4th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Fisher, J.D., & Hill, A. (2004). Plagiarism in an electronic age. Library Media Connection, 23 (3), 18-19. [in Repman & Dickinson, p. 68-69] MAF has not made an audio for this reading; comments are incorporated into the notes on this page.
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Morris, B.J. (2004). Administering the school library media center (4th ed.). Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 1-59158-183-4.
Repman, J., & Dickinson, G.K. (2007). School library management (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Linworth.
Simpson, C. (2005). Copyright for schools: A practical guide (4th ed.). Worthington, OH: Linworth.

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Page history:section updated 1-22-08; structural work 12-31-08, 1/7/2010. 2/8/10: incorporated Fisher & Hill ideas into this topic. 1/25/2011: refreshed.