For

this assignment I chose the article No One Can Whistle a Symphony: Seeking a
Catalogers Code of Ethics by Elizabeth Shoemaker, which was in the journal Knowledge
Organization. The article discussed the need that people in the cataloging profession have for a
code of ethics, which is separate from the ALA code and the Association for Library Collections
& Technical Services supplement. The author argues the ALA code is too broad and by trying to
involve all aspects and departments of a library, only two points apply to catalogers and it does
not give enough direction. This article was interesting because I never thought about a separate
code of ethics for separate departments. I thought the ALA code was broad enough that it
covered the whole ethics in a library. I was supprised to find that it was because of it broadness
that it does not give catalogers enough guidance when ethical dilemmas arise.
I thought the author made a good point when saying catalogers are responsible for
making sure materials are available, when searched to users, and they hold a lot of power in
how materials can be viewed. She mentioned cataloging bad books in the article, which in
itself I did not have a problem with, except she did not define the term. I am guessing, from the
context, that the bad books are books that are published or advertised as biographies, which
are assumed non fiction, when they are actually fictionalized. She says it is an ethical dilemma
when cataloging such works because catalogers could be misrepresenting the item. I agree that
it is an issue, but I am not sure if it is a problem for ethics. The authors other point that
catalogers are able to control how a work is viewed, by using notes and subject heading, can be
an ethical dilemma, especially if the work is controversial or the cataloger is against the idea of
the work, or the authors views. Since people catalog material they bring their biases to the
records. I think a catalogers code of ethics would be good if it is used to help maintain neutral
records, can tell what ethical problems may arise when cataloging items, and sets guidelines to
how to deal with the problems.