Course Overview

 This is a short, self-paced online training program for Australian library staff.                                  REGISTER NOW

You have 6 months in which to complete the course.

In a world of echo chambers and filter bubbles, extremism and anxiety, surveillance capital and big data, acting ethically with regards to information and communities has never been more important.

But what does it mean to act ethically from a library perspective?

Library and information workers are at the frontline when it comes to information ethics - we are asked to make ethical decisions every day. For example: how we treat different clients, what we do with the personal information we collect, what we add or discard from our library collections, our approach to intellectual property, our support of intellectual freedom and human rights, and how we support informed and active communities.

This course is about professional ethics - how library and information workers make decisions that reflect our purpose, principles and values.

How well do you understand the basics, and how well have you kept up with the issues and law surrounding information ethics?

This professional development unit consists of 4 simple modules and 5 case studies. You will receive a Certificate of Attainment upon the successful completion of this course.

Course Content

Consisting of 4 modules and 5 work-through case studies, you will investigate:

• What is ethics, what are ethical dilemmas, and what are the common approaches used in ethical decision making?
• What are a library's underpinning purpose, principles and values?
• What are the range of ethical issues in contemporary libraries, and what supporting codes, policies and guidelines will help you make ethical decisions?
• What steps need to be taken in any ethical decision, and how might you apply them to library and information contexts?

Right for you if...

If you've ever encountered a difficult workplace dilemma, have had to explain or support ethical decision making, or are new to libraries, this course will help you to consider and work through ways to approach thorny situations in your professional context. 

Course Delivery

This is a simple step-through course delivered on Moodle (the online Learning Management System used by ALIA for this course).

The course is unfacilitated, and may be completed at your own pace. Course content includes simple readings, examples, and summative quizzes. You will work through a set of library and information based case studies.

No specific hardware and software – other than a computer with internet access – is required for this course.

CPD Hours

CPD hours are not automatically allocated for this course and will need to be logged by participant.

What to expect once you have registered

Your registration will be processed within 2 business days, and you will receive an email from us with your Moodle login set up.

More information

Cancellation Policy