Social Media Guidelines

The Code of Ethics is the document that translates the values of intellectual freedom that define the profession of librarianship into broad principles that may be used by individual members of that profession as well as by others employed in a library as a framework for dealing with situations involving ethical conflicts.

The ALA Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) produced a sample set of questions and answers to clarify the implications and applications of the ALA Code of Ethics.

When libraries engage with social media, it should be done based on active reflection of the library’s mission and culture.

This document provides a policy and implementation framework for public and academic libraries engaging in the use of social media.