[February 1, 2016] The published core values of any organization tells us a lot about the thinking of its senior leadership. With some analysis we can see if they will have difficulty in achieving their mission or not. Today, I’ll be highlighting the American Library Association (ALA) and their official core values.
The ALA is an old organization, having been founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. This is important because it informs us that there has been a long-running need for what they do and they have been very successful in achieving their mission. If you speak with a librarian, they will say their mission is to provide leadership to develop, promote, and improve on library services so as to enhance learning.
Here is the ALA’s list of core values1:
- Access
- Confidentiality/Privacy
- Democracy
- Diversity
- Education and Lifelong Learning
- Intellectual Freedom
- Preservation
- The Public Goode
- Professionalism
- Service
- Social Responsibility
The list is relatively long and broad in scope; pointing to a possible disadvantage. First, the greater the number of core values means possible confusion and conflicting values in practice. Second, the order of core values shows us their priorities. Is access more important than social responsibility? And third, but not last, the meaning of these core values is not completely clear (see policy manual for detailed and long explanations linked at each core value).
Overall, the American Library Association has successfully transitioned from a keeper of old books to a modern information resource center.2 I applaud their adaptability and the vision of the ALA’s founders.
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