Library Ethics, Laws and Professional Associations
What the domain covers
Ethics guide professional conduct; laws set legal boundaries; associations support standards and advocacy. The exam tests principles, Indian copyright, RTI and major associations.
Core rules and concepts
- Ethics: intellectual freedom, privacy, equitable access, confidentiality, avoidance of bias, respect for copyright.
- Copyright Act, 1957 (India): protects literary, artistic and musical works; fair dealing for research, private study, criticism and review; public domain after the term; plagiarism is unethical and may be illegal.
- Right to Information Act, 2005: promotes transparency; libraries may receive requests for information.
- Associations: ILA (Indian Library Association, 1933), IASLIC (1955), IFLA, ALA, CILIP.
- Library legislation: state public library acts provide funding and governance.
Worked example
A student asks to photocopy one chapter of a textbook. Reasoning: under fair dealing for private study, a reasonable portion may be copied; do not copy the whole book or sell copies. Record the request, respect licence terms for e-resources, and advise citation. If the library has a subscription, use the licensed link rather than copying.
Traps that cost marks
Do not say all photocopying is illegal; do not confuse ILA with IASLIC; do not ignore privacy when handling user records. Ethics answers must mention access and confidentiality, not just copyright.