As digital information supplements and even replaces print
material, librarians must adapt resource sharing policies,
practices, and procedures to the technological, economic, and
legal realities of the digital age. Although interlibrary loan
(ILL) specialists provide an invaluable service, this does not
mean that everything they do is right, beneficial or good for
their patrons, or for society as a whole. As with any human
endeavor, they should neither assume that their work is
immune to ethical considerations, nor should they take ethical
shortcuts. Otherwise, even the most well meaning librarian
risks compromising their values, interests, and mission, as
well as harming other stakeholders in the information world,
including their own constituents.
Traditional library and information ethics and librarian
values stem from established ethical frameworks, which add to
their power. Established principles of professional
librarianship acknowledge the rights of information
producers, the importance of the free exchange of
knowledge for social progress, and the responsibility for
preserving knowledge for posterity. Despite cross-cultural and
political differences (Vaagan, 2002), IFLA’s Committee on
Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression
(FAIFE) commission[1] also expresses this in an international
context. As for the values of resource sharing professionals,
reciprocity and cooperation are both fundamental.