Case Studies
Each real-life Case Study collected by the editors has been assigned a number. This page lists those Case Studies in numerical order.
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Scroll through the list of Case Studies below, or look up Cases on one of the other index pages. Alternatively, use the search field on the right to search the information ethics website. |
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| ►0001 | The subscription cheat? |
| Is it correct to subscribe to a journal as a personal copy ‘donated’ to the information centre, rather than pay a higher institutional subscription rate? | |
| ►0002 | An esoteric classification |
| An information centre adopts an esoteric classification scheme for its specialised library. Does this restrict users’ access to information when searching under more familiar indexing terms? | |
| ►0003 | Yes Sir, anything you say Sir! |
| Is it correct to give preference to certain information users in cases where information supply is limited? | |
| ►0004 | Take it if it's free |
| Does an information professional act inappropriately when taking donated information unnecessarily, denying access to other information professionals? | |
| ►0005 | Extracurricular activities of an infopro |
| Should an information professional condone use of an employer’s information resources for private interest? | |
| ►0006 | Stop looking at my desk! |
| Should the information professional conceal his/her desk and operating space in order to prevent leaks of sensitive or confidential information? | |
| ►0007 | It's true - online databases usage can be expensive |
| Management review of users’ data: Where the information manager is accountable for online database usage, should the manager be required to reveal to senior management the nature of database usage and the identities of the users? | |
| ►0008 | Over-selling our services |
| In what cases is the information manager justified in refusing to supply information? | |
| ►0009 | When favourite resources simply won't do |
| [a] Does the convenience and economy of some information resources (e.g. CD-ROM) mask ethical responsibilities? [b] Does the information manager have a duty to provide unbiased information by not continuously using the same sources (for reasons of simplicity, familiarity, etc)? | |
| ►0010 | Stand back: I'm an infopro! |
| To what extent can an information manager reasonably give information without inadvertently or intentionally supplying advice and overstepping another’s professional role? | |
| ►0011 | Learn from your mistakes |
| Is it ethical to do the user’s work for them? Why not let them learn by their own mistakes? | |
| ►0012 | When skimming the surface won't do |
| Should the information professional limit the depth of enquiry in helping to solve a user’s problem when time is limited? | |
| ►0013 | Wealthy company resorts to public library resources |
| Should the information professional condone the use of public libraries to obtain information which is later sold on to a client? | |
| ►0014 | Bias of convenience |
| Is inadvertent censorship a direct or indirect result of biased use of information resources by the information manager? | |
| ►0015 | Common sense versus confidentiality |
| To avoid duplication of effort, should an information manager alert colleagues to others within the same organisation who are working on the same issue? | |
| ►0016 | Recycling information |
| Is it ethical to re-use information for successive clients, and to charge as if each job had been carried out ab initio? | |
| ►0017 | The infopro knows best |
| In what cases can the information professional’s information be considered advice? | |
| ►0018 | Limitations of a corporate Communications team |
| How does a librarian ensure the objectivity of a current awareness (news clipping) service? Surely all such services are biased by the abilities or intentions of the person who selects the news? | |
| ►0019 | Private public sector personal dilemma |
| Can an intranet manager justifiably censor information presented on a corporate intranet by reason of being the person responsible for managing intranet content? | |
| ►0020 | Inexperienced but expert? |
| Does an experienced information professional cause harm by delegating responsibility to a subordinate colleague? | |
| ►0021 | Jack-of-all-Trades |
| Does a single experience of an online database justify that service being listed on an information professional’s curriculum vitae? | |
| ►0022 | Beware the catalogue! |
| Is cataloguing inherently biased? What are the responsibilities of a cataloguer to provide objective pointers to information? | |
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►0023 |
A case of expert bias? |
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Is classification ever perfect? To what extent are subject experts responsible for the organisation of information? |
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►0024 |
Conferences at an employer's expense |
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Does an information professional have a responsibility to attend conferences as a legitimate professional development activity? |
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►0025 |
Junk mail or not? |
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Is an information professional justified in refusing to look at ‘junk mail’? |
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►0026 |
Porn perusal permitted |
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Can a public librarian refuse to serve a library user with questionable taste? |
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►0027 |
Vigilance in the library |
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Is a library manager responsible for preserving a nation's heritage? |
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►0028 |
Never trust a student! |
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Is it ethical to pose as a student to gather competitive information? |
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►0029 |
Just say 'No!' |
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What ethical challenges are faced by a librarian who offers to respond to a senior manager at the expense of other library users? |
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| ►0030 | Mrs Recluse's very smelly flat |
| Should a library assistant over-ride the decision of her line manager to report a vulnerable elderly person to Social Services? | |
| ►0031 | The secret sale |
| To what extent does a librarian have a duty to the wider scholarly community beyond his professional duty to preserve and maintain the collection for which he is directly responsible? | |
| ►0032 | Fingerprinting: A step too far? |
| Does any library have the right to collect personal data on its users, potentially infringing their human rights? | |
| ►0033 | A disastrous fire and the missing disaster recovery plan |
| Does a librarian’s duty to ‘protect and preserve material’ include monitoring the disaster recovery plan? | |
| ►0034 | The over-zealous medical student |
| Does a records management officer’s duty to respond to the client outweigh the duty to protect data? | |
| ►0035 | What have you been reading this term? |
| Is a librarian obliged to respond to requests from the headteacher which she deems violate students’ rights? | |
| ►0036 | Wow, you’re a really cool librarian; can I look you up for all my research? |
| Can a library withdraw access rights from a user whose behaviour and language is offensive to library staff? | |
| ►0037 | Not under any circumstances – my daughter is at risk |
| What measures should a public library take to protect potentially vulnerable users? | |
| ►0038 | No-one else is using that bay so I don’t see why I shouldn’t |
| What duties does a library employee have to uphold ‘equal access’ in a shared use local authority building? | |
| ►0039 | Ecclesiastical openness |
| Is it irresponsible to let library visitors check-out books by themselves? | |
| ►0040 | Acquisitions cause librarian angst |
| How does the librarian responsible for stock selection reconcile personal belief with extremist acquisitions? | |
| ►0041 | Donations threaten library |
| Can a library with meagre resources justify accepting the donation of a major collection in a non-cognate area of interest? | |
| ►0042 | Book thefts a national issue |
| When does book theft damage national heritage? |
Submit suggestions for new Case Studies here.