Case Study: The solo librarian at a busy insurance services consultancy was asked by the senior partner to find out whether red motor cars were more likely to be involved in road traffic accidents than cars of other colours.  The librarian accepted the challenge and was pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate his expert search skills to the senior partner.  As a result he put off doing a number of other tasks for two days whilst he gathered evidence to answer the senior partner's question.

After two days' searching databases, trade journals and academic institutions the librarian compiled his findings into a well presented file and handed it over to the senior partner.  The results of his investigation showed that there was no conclusive evidence for red cars being more accident prone than cars of other colours.

'Wonderful!' exclaimed the senior partner, 'that's just what I was looking for.'  The librarian smiled - he was happy to have pleased the senior partner.

'Yes,' continued the senior partner, 'my son will be so pleased.  It's for his school project, you see.'

The librarian was confused.  He had spent two days of the consultancy's time and resources investigating this question, yet his pleasure at being able to satisfy the senior partner was tempered with his concern at the effect this had had on his other obligations. He wanted to tell the senior partner that he didn't consider it to be particularly effective to spend his time helping a child's school project, but at the same time he didn't want to spoil his chances of impressing the senior partner with his professional abilities as a librarian.

The editors comment...

The solo librarian's initial response - to devote time and effort into completing a task for the senior partner at the expense of other obligations - may have been well meant and acceptable, though one wonders whether he had failed to consider the impact (on the business or its clients) of his action.  It was, after all, guided principally by a sense of self-aggrandisement.

The librarian's responsibilities are several.  First, to his employer {E1}.  He feels justified in actively seeking to answer the senior partner's question, believing it to be an ordinary business-related issue.  It is, after all, a question one might expect to hear in the insurance consulting field, and the librarian is ideally placed to carry out the investigation.

The librarian has a responsibility to present himself as a competent information professional, reflecting a need to 'promote the profession positively' {C1}.  In this context it is difficult for him to refuse to carry out the senior partner's wishes.  In any event, he has no reason at the start to doubt that his task is for the benefit of the consultancy, and his enthusiasm to provide the senior partner with an effective information service is laudable for this reason. 

The question of whether and to what extent he should have deprioritised other tasks is one both of ethical concern and of management ability.  As a solo librarian he probably finds that he has to juggle priorities on several occasions.  In CILIP's Code of Professional Practice we note the need to 'deal fairly with the competing needs of information users, and resolve conflicting priorities with due regard for the urgency and importance of the matters being considered' {B5}.  Without further evidence we could suggest that the librarian's single intention to deprioritise other tasks in favour of the senior partner's did not provide sufficient ethical duty as required by the Code.  However, this may have been a result of inadequate training in time management, for which the employer has a key (but not unique) responsibility.

Although the senior partner's behaviour cannot easily be condoned, the librarian feels uncomfortable at raising his concern.  He does not want to jeopardise his favourable working relationship (which also, he believes, reflects well on the information profession) by antagonising the senior partner.  He may note that CILIP's Code recommends the need to 'avoid engaging in unethical practices during their work and bring to the attention of their employer any concerns they may have concerning the ethics ... of specific decisions, actions or behaviour at work' {E2}.  The librarian may consider reporting the case to the firm's Ethics Committee (should he be aware of its existence), but in the present case it is probably not thought to be sufficiently appropriate to report.  In any event, the librarian may also feel a sense of responsibility to uphold the confidentiality of the senior partner's request {B4} and to believe that he, the senior partner, is fully aware of the impact of delegating a task of an non-business nature.

Perhaps in this case the librarian's ethical concerns may have been assuaged if he had offered to express an opinion based on his being a member of CILIP, a professional body which encourages members to uphold ethical principles.  By expressing his concern from a professional ethical perspective he would have presented himself as a competent member of the profession, and as someone who is willing and keen to help.  However, it is recognised that the librarian may have felt uncomfortable or unable to raise this issue positively with the senior partner.

Created: v0.9 17-Feb-07 : JG-T

Revised: v1.0 15-Jun-07 : JG-T