A Charter for Librarians?

My argument in favour of a Charter would follow this previous blog post on Why Librarians MUST Resist Neoliberalism.

A Charter in this instance would recognize/embody the values, rights, duties and aspirations of Librarians at a broad level. It would speak to the importance of librarians, values librarians attempt to uphold, and to the respect and dignity, among other things, due to librarians as workers.

I thought I would start by searching through statements with the intent of collating Librarian and Librarianship-related statements. But one of the difficulties in parsing out Librarians values, rights, etc. from preexisting statements is the way these conflate Librarians/Librarianship and Libraries. This has become a problem as neoliberalism infiltrates our Libraries and Associations, and Librarians have woken up to discover that those who run those bodies are not necessarily supportive of Librarians as a category/group. The most obvious example occurred after CLA was called on the floor for their lack of support for a group of Librarians: the CLA Executive(?) voted for and removed support for Librarians from their official documentation.

Thus it is desperately important that we, as Librarians, stop assuming that the interests of our Libraries (our administrations) and Associations (leaders of our Libraries, typically) directly represent our interests as Librarians. My understanding of how we view ourselves: we equate and thus conflate Librarians = Libraries = Democracy. Our upper administrations, I suspect [in my cynicism], view it like this: Admin Librarians = Libraries = Future.

Thus, starting with ALA’s Core Values of Librarianship, IFLA's Statutes, IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians and Other Information Workers, IFLAs Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom, the Glasgow Declaration on Libraries, Information Services and Intellectual Freedom, and bits from an incomplete scan of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we may begin to play...

A. Librarians' Values as embodied in statements:

• support and promote the values democracy, intellectual freedom, the public good and social responsibility (ALA)
•  The Charter includes the right to a democratic form of government [through its statements concerning the legislature]. A democracy presupposes an informed citizenry. Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right of all persons to free expression.
•  ALA reaffirms that libraries are an essential public good and are fundamental institutions in democratic societies  [conflate this to apply to librarians?]
•  ALA recognizes its broad social responsibilities. The broad social responsibilities of the American Library Association are defined in terms of the contribution that librarianship [and thus Librarians] can make in ameliorating or solving the critical problems of society.
• IFLA 2.3.1 the endorsement of the principles of freedom of access to information, ideas and works of imagination and freedom of expression embodied in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [democracy].
• IFLA 2.3.2 the belief that people, communities and organizations need universal and equitable access to information, ideas and works of imagination for their social, educational, cultural, democratic and economic well-being [democracy].
•  IFLA therefore calls upon libraries and library staff to adhere to the principles of intellectual freedom, uninhibited access to information and freedom of expression and to recognize the privacy of library user. 
• Libraries contribute to the development and maintenance of intellectual freedom and help to safeguard basic democratic values and universal civil rights. 
  IFLA therefore calls upon libraries and information services and their staff to uphold and promote the principles of intellectual freedom and to provide uninhibited access to information [Glasgow Declaration].

B. Librarians as workers:

•  Librarianship is, in its very essence, an ethical activity embodying a value-rich approach to professional work with information [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• Information service in the interest of social, cultural and economic well-being is at the heart of librarianship and therefore librarians have social responsibility [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• Article 19 [UN Universal declaration of Human Rights] expressly sets out a right to “Seek, receive and impart information and ideas in any media and regardless of frontiers” which provides a clear rationale for libraries and the practice of modern and progressive librarianship. IFLA in statements, manifestos and policy and technical documents too numerous to list has expanded the understanding of work with information. Implicit in this work is the idea of information rights and their significance for the profession and society generally. The emphasis on information rights in turn obliges librarians and other information workers to develop a principled critique of relevant law and to be prepared to advise and, if appropriate, advocate the improvement of both the substance and administration of laws [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• The majority of the Code of Ethics [IFLA] is related to Librarians' responsibilities as workers to our users and can't all be covered here. Read it folks!
• The American Library Association supports the provision of library services by professionally qualified personnel who have been educated in graduate programs within institutions of higher education.
•  We provide the highest level of service to all library users ...We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.  
• IFLA asserts that a commitment to intellectual freedom is a core responsibility for the library and information profession. 
•  IFLA 2.2.1 to promote high standards of delivery of library and information services and professional practice, as well as the accessibility, protection, and preservation of documentary cultural heritage. This is done through the enhancement of professional education, the development of professional standards, the dissemination of best practice and the advancement of relevant scientific and professional knowledge.
•  IFLA 2.3.3 the conviction that delivery of high quality library and information services helps guarantee that access (as embodied in section 2.3, see excerpts mentioned above). 
• Library users shall have the right to personal privacy and anonymity. Librarians and other library staff shall not disclose the identity of users or the materials they use to a third party.  
• Librarians and other employees in such libraries have a duty to uphold those principles [of intellectual freedom].
• Librarians and other professional libraries staff shall fulfil their responsibilities both to their employer and to their users. In cases of conflict between those responsibilities, the duty towards the user shall take precedence.

C. Librarians' Rights?:

• Librarians and other information workers have the right to free speech in the workplace provided it does not infringe the principle of neutrality towards users [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• Librarians and other information workers counter corruption directly affecting librarianship, as in the sourcing and supply of library materials, appointments to library posts and administration of library contracts and finances [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• Librarians and other information workers strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing their knowledge and skills. They aim at the highest standards of service quality and thus promote the positive reputation of the profession [IFLA Code of Ethics]. 
• Librarians and other information workers treat each other with fairness and respect [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• Librarians and other information workers oppose discrimination in any aspect of employment because of age, citizenship, political belief, physical or mental ability, gender, marital status, origin, race, religion or sexual orientation [IFLA Code of Ethics].
• Librarians and other information workers promote equal payment and benefits for men and women holding comparable jobs [IFLA Code of Ethics].