Core Values Statement

[GraceAnne A. DeCandido]

Dear Colleagues:
Draft
Librarianship: Core Values

The following statement was drafted by the American Library Association's 
Core Values Task Force to meet the need for identification of the universal 
principles that guide all types of librarians and information 
professionals. The Task Force was formed based on recommendations of the 
Congress on Professional Education. Recognizing that these values encompass 
many principles and beliefs, the Task Force added an explication of the 
content, but it invites divisions, affiliates, chapters and other 
library-related units to develop their own interpretations drawn from their 
unique perspectives.

The connection of people to ideas
Unfettered access to ideas
Learning in all of its contexts
Freedom for all people to form, to hold, and to express their own beliefs
Respect for the individual person
Preservation of the human record
Interdependence among information professionals and agencies
Professionalism in service to these values

Explication
The Library Bill of Rights describes our obligations to those we serve. The 
Library Code of Ethics describes our obligations to ourselves and to our 
profession. Libraries: An American Value describes our commitment to the 
community. Arising from these and from our own professional lives are 
shared core values - timeless, universal, and inclusive. We hold these 
values as the foundation of librarianship:

The connection of people to ideas. All others flow from that. We guide the 
seeker in defining and refining the search; we foster intellectual inquiry; 
we nurture communication in its myriad forms and formats.

Unfettered access to ideas. We recognize access to ideas across time and 
across cultures as fundamental to society and to civilization.

Learning in all its contexts. We select and make accessible materials that 
support the scholar, allow democracy to flourish, nourish creativity, 
permit people to learn in and outside of formal education throughout their 
lives, and encourage the pursuit of joy.

Freedom for all people to form, to hold, and to express their own beliefs. 
Each person has the right to seek, to know, and to find within the context 
of their own lives.

Respect for the individual person. We honor each request without bias and 
we meet it with the fullness of tools at our command. We respect the 
individual's need for privacy and for confidentiality in their search or 
their study.

Preservation of the human record. The cultural memory of humankind and its 
many families, its stories, its expertise, its history, and its wisdom must 
be preserved from the past so it illuminates the present and makes the 
future possible.

Interdependence among information professionals and agencies. Librarianship 
is collaborative by nature, and collections and services evolve through 
that collaboration.

Professionalism in service to these values. Our commitment requires 
integrity, competence, effective stewardship, and service to our discipline 
as well as to our public.

To provide further background on this draft, the Core Values Task Force has 
created a website that contains an FAQ, a list of the members of the task 
force (with e-mail addresses, and a summary of their affiliations and 
experience), source documents, organizations to be contacted for input, 
information on a hearing scheduled for the ALA Midwinter Conference, and 
how to forward your comments, questions, or suggestions to the members of 
the Task Force. The URL is: http://www.wwa.com/~dsager/core.htm
This will be relocated to the ALA's website after the turn of the year.

The Task Force looks forward to your comments and suggestions.

Posted by GraceAnne A. DeCandido
member, ALA Core Values Task Force
ALA Councilor at Large



GraceAnne A. DeCandido
Blue Roses Editorial and Web Consulting
350 E. 236th St.
Bronx, NY 10470-2104
voice: 718/994-7794  * fax: 718/994-9851
E-mail ladyhawk at well.com
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"The use of language is all we have to pit against death and silence."
--Joyce Carol Oates