Hope

This week more than many others I find myself having to hold fast to my professional beliefs. A discussion occurred that made me question whether my organization had become completely reactive. It rocked me to my core as the pronouncements made in the course of the discussion were completely antithetical to some core principles of librarianship. When I cover the ALA Code of Ethics in my graduate course I joke that this may be the only time they ever look at these in any detail. Only a conversation with a trusted colleague allowed me to see the situation clearly. This, and the knowledge that others in our organization also believe in the importance of these core principles have given me hope. Academic freedom is far too important a principle to compromise and those who mistakenly believe that somehow security can be found in denying it should spend some time reflecting on how academic libraries serve this function.