The Expansion of the Information Professions

What is an information profession?

 Information - the communication of facts and knowledge
 Profession - an occupation that requires extensive education or specialized training
    Hence,
 Information profession - an occupation that requires extensive education or
specialized training on the communication of facts and knowledge. This covers a
wide range of services.

What is its history, its present and its future?

History (Ancient and Medieval)

3000 B.C. – Caretakers, scholars and scribes; earliest librarians
300 B.C. – Eratosthenes of Cyrene (known as an astronomer & geographer),
Aristophanes of Byzantion (grammarian & lexicographer) & Callimachus (author of the
Pinakes) ; notable librarians / cataloguers and historian-palaeographers / political
appointees who were above the scholars; were not truly librarians so much as keepers
of library collections; general scholarship

Present (Early Modern)

17th century – Due to the invention of the printing press came the necessity for a more
expert librarianship; development of subject classification schemes or indexes; need for
more specialized skills; seen as an occupation and a profession Classification ; turn from the
focus on acquisition and organization of materials to reference librarianship

(Late Modern)
19th century – development of computers, internet and world wide web

Future:

THE PROPOSITION: Imagine what kind of future you want to see and how to prepare
information students to invent that future.

1. The Demassification of Education

 The most profound and far-reaching future change in education will be the
move from a mass production model focused on teaching to a customized,
individualized model focused on learning. There are clearly defined learning goals
and objectives for various degrees, certificates, or other programs of study, but
students are able to attain and demonstrate requisite knowledge and skills via many
different paths and earn credit for involvement in research and student-driven
investigation that might diverge from conventional pathways of learning.

A “degree” from a top school will represent the validation by that institution
that a student has attained the level of knowledge and skills deemed essential and
appropriate for a program of study, not that a student has enrolled and completed a
certain number of courses.

2. Technology - Tools and Environments

For productivity, from processing words to processing knowledge via a

personal digital guide (PDG) in the form of an avatar or hologram that supports,
guides, and facilitates creating and communicating knowledge.

For information, search tools that are aware of context and user needs make
highly relevant and credible information and data of almost any kind instantly
available and customized in style, language and format (including massive data sets
displayed as virtual or physical 3D objects) to the needs and preferences of the
person.

For communication, wearable or implanted nano-devices respond to thoughts

and transfer data, information, or ideas effortlessly as well as manage, process, and
store incoming messages according to personal preferences.

Information Ethics And Its Implications for Professionals (Hoq, 2014)

Factors that influence information ethics

Globalization
One of the most important features of modern society is globalization, which is
characterized by extensive use of information and communication technologies, an
increasingly open society, greater sharing of information and also greater conflict among
individuals and societies in asserting their dominance over others.

More emphasis on individualism

People tend to be more individualistic these days; they frequently place more
importance upon individual good rather than social good. As a result, there has been an
increased demand for individualized and customized services from the library and
information centres.
Privacy and information security
In this increasingly networked world, the security of public and private data held in
databases, web sites and other information repositories are always at risk. People have
become more worried about their privacy and libraries, as preservers and providers of
sensitive information have to deal with this concern.

Diversification of ‘information works’

Unlike their predecessors, today’s library and information professionals are burdened
with greater and bigger responsibilities. In addition to being information providers, they now
frequently have to assume the roles of educators, consultants, technology experts,
translators and synthesizers, among others. They must achieve new skills and capabilities
for successfully performing these duties.

Conflict between ‘right to information’ and ‘ethical use of information’

Many countries around the world have laws ensuring people’s right to receiving and
using information (Bangladesh passed ‘Right to Information Act’ in 2009). However, there
are certain information which cannot be accessed by general people for security or other
reasons. In many instances, library and information professionals find themselves in tricky
situations where they have to strike a balance between ‘restricted use of information’ and
‘right to information’.

Access to information
The issue of universal access to information may create a dilemma for many
libraries. As Fernández-Molina points out, many public and professional declarations refer
unequivocally to free and public access to information. For example, the British Library
Association code of conduct states that any individual should be granted free and public
access to information. But, there is the risk that too great an emphasis on providing a service
free of charge may result in funding problems that could endanger the survival of the
information center. Similarly, providing a service at zero cost often results in its devaluation,
which also has as a consequence the undermining of the prestige and feasibility of the
profession.

Intellectual property rights

With the advent of new technologies, reproduction of information materials through

photocopying, scanning or otherwise has become much easier. This ease of reproduction
sometimes hampers the intellectual property rights of authors and publishers. It may create
‘a tension between the desire of information professionals to obtain information at the lowest
cost possible and the interest of the owners of this information. Besides, growing recognition
of information as a ‘raw material’ for development has resulted in increasing commoditization
of information.
Accordingly, information is being transferred from the public sector to the private and
corporate sector and ‘price tags’ are being attached to information, which is making it difficult
for less affluent people to access and use. Schiller remarks, ‘In the reallocation of
information resources now occurring throughout the economy from one set of users (the
general population) to another (mostly corporate business users), one principle prevails. It is
the market criterion – the ability to pay. This determines who will receive and who will be
excluded from the benefits of the information lubricated economy.’ Clearly, this poses new
ethical challenges for library and information professionals because now they have to
ascertain their roles and responsibilities in this complex ‘infosphere’ and determine how they
could assist the underprivileged people to uphold their right to accessing and using
information.

What to do and what not to do:

Ethical guidelines for information professionals

In the course of performing their duties, library and information professionals are
guided by some moral codes of conduct which prompt them to take certain actions at a
certain time. There are a number of ethical theories which have proved to be important for
guiding information professionals, like other people, to make decisions and follow a certain
course of action. Simply put, these theories provide criteria for differentiating between right
and wrong actions. Fallis explains four theories relating to information ethics, which are
consequence-based theories, duty-based theories, rights-based theories and virtue-based
theories.
According to the consequence-based theory, what distinguishes right actions from
wrong actions is that they have better consequences. To do the right thing, we should
perform actions that have the good consequences.
The main proposition of the duty-based theory is that consequence should not be the
guiding principle for determining the right and wrong action; rather, there are ethical duties
that human beings must obey regardless of the consequences.
The proponents of the rights-based theory argue that, the right thing to do is
determined by the rights that human beings have. Such theories are very much consistent
with information ethics as discussions of these topics are frequently framed in terms of
rights, such as Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association.
 The ethical theorists who support a virtue-based theory opine that, the right thing to
do is determined by the virtues that human beings ought to have. According to virtue-based
theories, the right thing to do is what a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances.

Assessment Method:

Online Questions using Quizziz (https://quizizz.com/)

The participants will be asked to access the website and enter the quiz code
provided by the instructor. An allotted time of 4-5 minutes will be given for everyone to join
and complete the quiz. Each question will be displayed in 30 seconds. Top three winners
who gained the highest point wins. Incentives will be given by the instructor.
1. It stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications

A. Ethics B. ICT C. Communication and ethics

2. It is united by the changing conditions rising from new possibilities of communication and
difficulty to comprehend the consequences of technical development.

A. Technology and ethics B. Impact of ICT C. Communication and ethics

3. The Department responsible for the planning, development, and promotion of the
country’s information and communication technology agenda in support of national
development

A. Department of Information and Communications Technology B. National

Telecommunications Commission C. Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center

4. A hypertext-based information system.

A. URL B. Intranet C. WWW

5. In the history of Information professionals, which of the following is not a title or profession
of the considered “earliest librarians”

A. Lexicographer B. Paleographer C. Seismographere quiz using Quizziz.com platform

Answer:

1. B

2. A

3. A

4. C

5. C

Videos to watch:
History of Libraries - Behind the News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGXx72rSdBs
Roles and Responsibilities of an Information Professional in a Global Information Society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhYq17xWy6U

TED Talks
 Ethics in the age of technology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiAirfn-lBI
Why do ethics matter? | Shefali Roy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yesE4mcv4CM
The importance of ethical decision making in the age of technology | Shohini Kundu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-nhktqMoT4
Becoming As Ethical As We Think We Are | Morgan Hamel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLRJ4KNxp4Y
Digital ethics and the future of humans in a connected world | Gerd Leonhard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZn0IfOb61U
How libraries change lives | Ciara Eastell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvt-lHZBUwU
What to expect from libraries in the 21st century: Pam Sandlian Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa6ERdxyYdo
Are Libraries Still Relevant? | Liz Bartlett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG7zYoUq_bs
How Libraries Transform Themselves and Transform Communities | Ketzie Diaz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unOCQvdg9cQ

References:

Adomi, E. E. (2011). Frameworks for ICT policy : government, social and legal issues. Information
Science Reference.

Berttgordijn, M., & Editors, M. (n.d.). The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology 21.
http://www.springer.com/series/7761

Hoq, K. M. G. (2014). Information Ethics and its Implications for Library and Information
Professionals: A Contemporary Analysis. Philosophy and Progress, 37–48.
https://doi.org/10.3329/pp.v51i1-2.17677

Onuoha, J. A. (2015). Information and Knowledge Management The Impact of Information

Technology on Modern Librarianship: A Reflective Study. Information and Knowledge
Management  , 5(11). www.iiste.org

Karlsson, I. (2003). Ethics and information and communication technology. IFAC Proceedings
Volumes (IFAC-PapersOnline), 36(22), 75–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-
6670(17)37696-6

Marchionini, Gary., Moran, B. B., & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. School of
Information and Library Science. (2012). Informational professionals 2050 : educational
 possibilities and pathways. School of Information and Library Science, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Quinn, M. J. (2020). Ethics for the Information Age 8th edition.

Ranjan Sahoo, D. (2015). Impact of Internet on Library and Information Services D h a r a S h a r

m a 2. In IJISET-International Journal of Innovative Science, Engineering & Technology (Vol.
2, Issue 4). www.ijiset.com

Williams, B. K., & Sawyer, S. C. (2015). Using Information Technology: A practical Introduction to
Computers and Communications.