John
I agree it is a 'can of worms' but one that needs opening.
Perhaps part of the problem regarding the image/status of librarians as
professionals is exactly this question?
Most of the time, professionals can advise their employers/clients that a
certain route is not professionally advised/valid but if ordered to anyway
they are safe in "following orders". [This does not apply to those who just
give employers/clients what they want without advising against it beforehand
- thinking here especially of some consultants, and not just in the
information profession].
However, there are certain cases where just "following orders" does not cut
it as a professional (neither in terms of the International Court for that
matter).
Mark Perkins MLIS, MCLIP
www.markperkins.info
https://keyserver.pgp.com/
-----Original Message-----
From: Library and Information Professionals
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Briggs
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 7:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CILIP announces new Board of Trustees: For the attention of
those new Trustees and Cilip CEO etc
Mark Perkins lists wrote:
>
> Reading some discussions (& articles in Update/Gazette), it seems that
> there is a confusion between a professional & a technician; a
> professional is one who is bound by a code of ethics to practice
> 'professionally' not just 'technically competent' to follow whatever
> an employer or client requests.
That is opening a can of worms that is perhaps better left alone. No-one is
ever going to be thrown out of CILIP for "following orders", but that is
exactly what can happen in other professions.
John Briggs
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