Ethics is a system of moral principles and of values relating to the
Tightness and wrongness of certain actions. When two diametrically
opposed obligations conflict with one another, an ethical dilemma occurs.
It is settled only by weighing and evaluating the importance of the
conflicting obligations. The moral conviction of a democratic society
supportive of freedom of information versus the welfare of that public
might well be an example of two opposing obligations. Equal access to
information by the people versus the provision of relevant and friendly
information is another wordset of potentially opposing obligations. The
free library for the good of the public versus quality library services is
also a contender. It is not so opposing if one considers the statement of
Alphonse Trezza (1986) during his tenure with the National Commission
on Library and Information Services (NCLIS): "The commitment to
public good requires the library to constantly improve quality of services,
the effective use of technology, and the efficiency of the operation" (p.
52). Providing access and fulfilling the needs of the majority versus
providing access and fulfilling the needs of the minority is yet another
opposing set. If one adds the words "equal opportunity" then the impact
of this statement upon the library is significant.published or submitted for publicatio

Morrison, Samuel F.

English

IDEALS @ Illinois

The ethics of access: Towards an equal slice of the pie

Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository

SAMUEL F. MORRISONFirst Deputy Commissioner and Chief LibrarianChicago Public LibraryThe Ethics of Access:Towards an Equal Slice of the PieINTRODUCTIONThe regard for ethics for a period of time drifted away from the loftylogic of Socrates and religious seminaries, and became a topic avoidedby the political arena and forgotten by society. However, in recent times,ethics has returned to the forefront, an issue that is addressed by themedia, in various publications, and at many symposiums and conferencesand by politicians. In other words, it is again currently a "hot" topic.The ethical standing and responsibility of professions such as librari-anship, which have an impact upon the community at large, aresignificant and worthy of this attention.Ethics is a system of moral principles and of values relating to theTightness and wrongness of certain actions. When two diametricallyopposed obligations conflict with one another, an ethical dilemma occurs.It is settled only by weighing and evaluating the importance of theconflicting obligations. The moral conviction of a democratic societysupportive of freedom of information versus the welfare of that publicmight well be an example of two opposing obligations. Equal access toinformation by the people versus the provision of relevant and friendlyinformation is another wordset of potentially opposing obligations. Thefree library for the good of the public versus quality library services isalso a contender. It is not so opposing if one considers the statement ofAlphonse Trezza (1986) during his tenure with the National Commissionon Library and Information Services (NCLIS): "The commitment topublic good requires the library to constantly improve quality of services,the effective use of technology, and the efficiency of the operation" (p.52). Providing access and fulfilling the needs of the majority versusproviding access and fulfilling the needs of the minority is yet another9394 Ethics and the Librarianopposing set. If one adds the words "equal opportunity" then the impactof this statement upon the library is significant.As a public administrator, the author's concern is with the respon-sibility of the public library to provide meaningful and quality access tominorities. For the purposes of this paper, minorities are identified asthe ethnic and racial minority groups. U. S. Immigration Service statisticsproject that minorities will comprise 33 percent of the population bythe year 2000. Currently, minority groups comprise 23 percent and upto 50 percent of the population of the larger cities of the U. S. Thethree largest groups of this growing minority population are Hispanic,Asian, and African-American. The highest percentages are found inNew York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. In the city of Chicago,projections by the Department of Planning show the Hispanic and Asiancommunities as the fastest-growing components of the population, risingfrom 14 percent of the population in 1980 to 21 percent by 2000;coincidentally or not, the poverty rate is projected to increase by 5percent. In all age brackets, Asian and Hispanic groups will experiencesignificant increases, up from 20 percent to 166 percent among seniorcitizens, while the white population will experience decreases in all butthe "over 80" category.What are some of the obligations of libraries in giving seriousconsideration to minority access? First, a library is obliged to determinewho the groups are, their social, cultural and demographic character-istics, and their information needs. This can be part of a communitysurvey, needs assessment, or ascertained from existing data such ascensus reports and local, state and federal agency documents. Second,the library is obligated to plan for the inclusion of the needs of minoritygroups in its overall program of service. Prioritized and measurablegoals can then be identified and implemented. Third, the library shouldset current and projected funding priorities for specialized services tominority groups. The availability of "soft" money for such services hasdwindled so that mainstreaming should be the order of the day.Before considering funding and overcoming budgetary constraints,some of the other major considerations involved in the responsibility oflibraries to provide access to minorities need to be addressed. In thisera of reduced library funding, especially at the federal level, the ethicsof minority access demands serious consideration.THE "BIG FOUR" LIBRARY OPERATIONSMeaningful, quality-oriented access requires the inclusion of mi-nority considerations in all aspects of library operations. Foremost amongThe Ethics of Access 95these are the big four: Collections, Staffing, Programming, and Facilities.Experience and research have shown that there are differences betweenlibrary needs of a vast portion of minority groups and the needs of theheretofore"typical" library user. Ethical considerations require thatthese differences, whether cultural, educational or social, be taken intoaccount when proportioning library resources. This paper will touchupon some of the barriers or obstacles that must be overcome inproviding meaningful, quality access and note some of the currentinitiatives underway at the Chicago Public Library (CPL).Collection AccessLibraries have recognized for some time that there are distinctbarriers which impede access to use of the collection. Minority groupsin particular experience to a higher degree the limitations of cultural,educational, and language barriers. The ethics of access dictate that ameans be implemented which will prevent minorities from becomingvictims of those barriers.Culturally, many have not used libraries as a primary or secondarysource of information. Indeed, many may not have experienced the"public library" nor developed the reading habit as part of the social-ization process. These groups, once identified, will have to be introducedto libraries through public awareness and community outreach efforts.To decrease the educational and language barriers, the library may haveto increase its offering of English as a Second Language (ESL) andother classes and provide basic literacy training. A collection must bedeveloped that takes these and other significant issues into considerationwhen plans are being developed and dollars allocated. Formats or mediatypes may have to be expanded, deleted, or maintained. The acquisitionof foreign language materials and the turnaround time for receiving,processing, and shelving these materials are critical. The inadequacy ofcurrent cataloguing and processing procedures and devices cripples thebest intentions of the selection process. Far too often, what ends up onthe browsing shelves is not representative of what is in the receivingand work rooms. Access to information about and for minorities ishandicapped. For the staff of CPL, knowing the community meansknowing which of the collected materials, in 120 different languages,to focus upon and extensively collect. The availability from majorvendors, the handling of non-roman alphabets, the integration of foreignlanguage/multicultural materials throughout a multibranch system, orthe separation or regionalizing of library materials are strategic decisionsto be made.Cooperative efforts, especially where the dollar is an issue (and96 Ethics and the Librarianwhere isn't it!) seem to work well. For instance, Project ASIA wasoriginally supported by LSCA funds and the book budget contributionsof its participating libraries in California. Community outreach wasconducted and the project staff selected, acquired, and catalogued booksin four Asian languages for its participants.StaffingIt is important to effective service to minority groups that staff arepeople-oriented, possess good communication skills, and are knowl-edgeable about the literature, aware of trends, familiar with patronneeds, quality-minded, able to manage, and so on. These characteristicsshould sound very familiar to all library managers. The staff should alsobe familiar with the institutional barriers that can impede access toinformation. The information needs of those in low-income areas andthe non-English speaking can be a far cry from what is taught inReference 101. Librarians have to recognize the socioeconomic andeducational distinctions within a given minority group and consequentlytheir diverse informational needs. Staff awareness and sensitivity forinstitutional barriers can extend from knowing when a given collectionis inadequate for a patron and thereby providing the appropriate referral;or when a person is at a loss in attempting to recognize, let alone use,the catalog, follow the Library of Congress classification scheme, orsimply read. The responsive library and staff will proceed to establishworkable measures to reduce institutional barriers. The establishmentof staff advisory committees that serve as resources for the developmentand administration of policies, activities, collections, and programsaffecting minorities is one approach for creating and passing on theawareness alluded to previously.In some instances, there are needs for bilingual staff. At CPL, staffworking in primarily Hispanic communities are encouraged and sup-ported in their efforts to learn Spanish. As a result of LSCA funding,there have been language classes offered for staff on library time. CPLhas also initiated a joint program with Rosary College whereby staffwith bachelor's degrees can work full time and complete M.L.S. degreerequirements within two years. This staff development program isdesigned to increase the number of librarians available systemwide andtherefore for the new central library the Harold Washington LibraryCenter (scheduled for completion in 1991) as well as to enlarge thediminishing pool of minority librarians. In the city's personnel depart-ment, a training program is offered for all city employees on multiculturaladaptation; one is targeted for managers and another for peer groups.One of CPL's four district chief librarians provides the followingThe Ethics of Access 97insight: Attitudes of staff in communities that are experiencing changesin makeup are often difficult to orient. In one branch, the communitymakeup is moving away from a white-collar, all-white neighborhood toone of blue-collar, Hispanic predominance. The unit head is expectedto orientate her middle-aged white clerical staff so that they maintainthe same level of quality service for the newer residents of the communityas they have given in the past. This is a considerable task under someconditions, but especially so in this case when the observation is madethat the branch head herself is making plans to move her personalresidence out of that community.GPL actively recruits bilingual staff, who are assigned to those areasof the library needing their skills the most. However, should the Tightnessand wrongness of shaping the career track of bilingual and minoritystaff be considered? Are there other skills, language fluency aside, thatare being overlooked which would enhance the employee's value to theorganization? Does the library have an obligation to assign qualifiedminority professional staff to communities whose makeup and patronsare not those of the librarian's ethnic or racial type? Is the library's"commitment to quality library services" kept in mind at personnelevaluation time? Are supervisors wise to the differences in work habitscaused by cultural differences versus "poor" work habits?ProgrammingAnother major area where the ethics of access comes into play islibrary programming. Is a proportionate share of programming plannedwith minorities in mind? Do the program participants, themes, andtopics reflect the ethnicity of the community? Do they go beyond simplya linguistic translation of traditional programming?In conjunction with the program design element, marketing needsmust be considered. The need arises for effective communication. Thismay mean bilingual press releases, public service announcements, andany other means identified by community outreach that serve to informstaff of the best communication vehicles and channels for a givenminority group and community. For instance, in some Arab neighbor-hoods, mosques and grocery stores with Arab proprietors are the currentand most-used source for community information. For other groups itmay be the church or the social center. The two underlying purposesof programming are to increase library use and to promote culturalawareness. For minority groups as with any other group, relevance, i.e.,meaningful access, is the key.98 Ethics and the LibrarianFacilitiesThe last of the big four of library operations is facilities. Here iswhere, in a number of instances, the proportionate share is not met. Itis usually in minority communities that one finds a predominance ofstorefronts and smaller library facilities. In many instances, groups havenot been empowered to demand better facilities, nor are they aware ofthe political process for obtaining improvements. Once the groups growlarge enough and become more acquainted with the process for im-provement, the demands are made. But why wait until then? If theconcern for minority access and ethical considerations is incorporatedin the library's capital improvement plans, then adequate facilitiesbecome a part of the library's ongoing program. GPL recently openedan 1 8,000 square-foot branch in the heart of a large Hispanic community.This facility is one of the many included in the library's five-year planfor branch renovation and construction within the 84-agency library. Astorefront library in Chicago's Chinatown is being replaced with a newconstruction more suitable for the collection and community served inChinatown.FUNDINGThere is, of course, the underlying support of all the foregoingaspects of library operations: funding. Funding is where the propor-tionate share of the pie really begins. This involves conscientiousplanning after needs have been determined. Breaking away from thetraditional modes and providing for the special needs of minority groupsin the budget process have, in the recent past, been reactive. Librarieswere compelled by the force of local demand to respond to groups suchas African-Americans and Hispanics. A library should and must in itsplanning stages be aware of changing communities and become proac-tive. Is there a new group entering the scene to which the library shouldbe responding, such as the Asian Indian population, before the grouprequests an audience with the board of directors or trustees?"Towards an equal slice of the pie" means the implementation ofa plan. It should contain the elements of a contingency plan as well aslong-range considerations. It should include available and potentiallyavailable funding sources. When the budget is tight, the first inclinationusually is to postpone doing anything. However, this is problematic.Resources must be tapped, whether public or private. Again, being intouch with the community may reveal certain power brokers previouslyunknown.Another source of funds or means for adding services is the use ofThe Ethics of Access 99creative partnerships. Other agencies or institutions may be willing topool resources and work with the library in joint sponsorship of aneffort that neither alone could provide. In addition to that notedpreviously, a well-known example is the joint offering of English as aSecond Language classes as an effort between the public library andthe local adult education providers. Museums housing and exhibitingthe art or history of a given minority might also be considered. Searchingfor these extra public and private dollars takes some ingenuity and time.At the same time, one must be prepared; the funding of services notprovided previously or the funding of program ideas that do not ringa familiar bell of "traditional" will require that administrators beequipped with a salable and workable plan. This is especially true if theplan suggests the eventuality of cutting or minimizing some existingtraditional service or program.With regard to the corporate budget, specific allocations basedupon the library mission, goals, and financial plan should be madeduring the budget process. These may be small, for example, the hiringof a bilingual specialist, a beginning "towards an equal slice of the pie."CONCLUSIONThe ethical issue of information service and access for minoritygroups is not going away. It has been and will continue to be a part oflife in an ever-changing American society. In addition to the emergingand growing ethnic and racial groups are other minorities yet to beconsidered in a consistent and real way: the physically and mentallydisabled, the institutionalized, the burgeoning senior citizen group, andthe homeless, to name but a few of the statistically obvious.It is impossible to provide a single approach to responding to theneed for equal opportunity of access by minorities, and it is just asimprobable that a Bandaid or other "quick fix" will address the needin a quality way.The quality of service requested by minority groups is equivalentto that required by the majority, while the lesson of learning about andusing the library is one for librarians and administrators. Are notlibrarians and administrators the minority when it comes to that segmentof the population that can be defined as possessing skill and ease ofaccess to library services and information? Thus, that minority is theone that must adapt. The opportunities found within a community mustbe identified and communicated; otherwise, the uniqueness and richnessof our diversified and multicultural communities might not remain atreasure of libraries to keep.100 Ethics and the LibrarianACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIt is with sincerest appreciation that the author acknowledges thecontributions of the following GPL staff: Dr. Alice Scott, AssistantCommissioner Statewide Services; Loretta R. O'Brien, Librarian andSenior Assistant for Planning; and Tamiye Trejo, Northeast DistrictChief.REFERENCESBayles, M. D. (1981). Professional ethics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.City of Chicago, Department of Planning. (October 1988). Chicago's changing population:Recent trends and Year 2000 projections. Chicago: Author.Fischer, R. G. (1986). Project ASIA: California public libraries serving the Asiancommunity. Library Journal, 111(4), 62-64.Hauptman, R. (1988). Ethical challenges in librarianship. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.Hoefer, M. D. (1989, June). Recent immigrants: Their characteristics and places of residence.Report of the Statistical Analysis Division, U. S. Immigration and NaturalizationService presented at the 108th Annual ALA Conference, Dallas, TX.Lindsey, J. A. (1985). Professional ethics and librarians. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.Payne, J. (1988). Public libraries face California's ethnic and racial diversity. RandPublication Series #3656. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.Tarin, P. (1988). Rand misses the point: A "minority" report. Library Journal, 113(18),31-34.Trezza, A. F. (1986). Equal opportunity of access: A responsibility and a challenge.Government Publications Review, 13(1), 49-54.

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