The Way of the Librarian

For those of you new to librarianship or curious about librarianship, there is a Code of Honor which frames and guides our vocational life. When we agree to become a librarian, we agree to follow the Code, exhibit the behaviors and dispositions defined in the Code, and learn to recognize these qualities in others. This practice is known as The Way of The Librarian.
​
This is the Code.
As a librarian, I promise to:

• Be a searcher: I will look for information before asking anyone else. I will not email another to ask them where to find something until I have exhausted all possible sources. I will always seek the best proximity to the primary source.
  
  
• Be a protector: I will preserve my patrons’ privacy, voice, and ability to access the information they want and need. I will stand by the ideals of equity, fairness, and justice in all that I do.
  
  
• Be open: I will embrace outside opinions, new ideas, and multiple perspectives and share them widely. I am willing to modify plans, collections, and policies based on a variety of new information, and I will proactively and persistently pursue avenues of finding new information to better meet the needs of my patrons.
  
  
• Be confident: I will accept uncertainty and understand ambiguity in all aspects of my practice. I understand that I will have to make informed decisions in ambiguous situations that are in harmony with my values and the values of my library, school, and/or, community.
  
  
• Be Brave: I will strive to exemplify strength through vulnerability, honesty, and transparency. I will serve as a vanguard when others can or will not. I may fail, but I will fail forward and will learn from failure to better serve my patrons.

When we choose to become a librarian and walk the Way we agree to obey this Code of Honor. It is a duty, responsibility, and privilege of the highest order. 

​

---

THIS IS THE WAY
​

The Way of the Librarian by @pamlibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.