The aim of this master thesis is to study the relationship between general ethics and professional ethics, to attain an understanding of which values that are given priority in the profession of the librarian regarding personal encounter towards library users. The posed questions are: How can fundamental ethical principles be understood through the view of public librarians? How can policy documents regarding librarian ethics be understood through the view of public librarians? How can policy documents regarding librarian ethics be problematized in relation to fundamental ethical principles? We used four focus groups consisting of public librarians. Three theoretical frameworks create the base of the analysis; four fundamental ethical principles, ethical guidelines for Swedish librarians and recommendations for Swedish librarians in the reference service. Three main issues emerge in the study; equalistic personal encounter where the principle of justice is emphasized but also problematized, library users’ integrity which mainly coincide with the principle of autonomy and finally the librarian’s professional role which are being defined by librarian specific competence to refrain violation of the principle of injury avoidance. The study concludes that the understanding of policy documents deepens when they are being substantialized through general ethics. Through this junction a concretization of general ethics is achieved. Contradictions between different kinds of ethics are also being clarified. This merging clarifies which values that can be given priority in the profession of the librarian. The contradictions emphasize each librarian’s own reflection.

This study examined gray areas within professional ethics of a public library organization and investigated the relationship between the library as an organization and the librarian as an employee when it comes to support and opportunities to make exceptions to rules and regulations. This relationship is then related to workplace issues.Data were gathered via interviews with six librarians who were placed into two focus groups. Library organization documents that contain rules and regulations (guidelines) were examined. The presumption was that conformity between librarians’ experiences and actions and the organization’s guidelines will tell us something about workplace conditions. The theoretical framework is derived from the work of Richard M. Hare, a moral philosopher who separates ethics into two levels: intuitive and critical. These levels are used to analyze the data.The main findings are that ethical awareness among the librarians is weak, and there is a tendency to call ethical issues approaches, rather than ethics. There is extensive support from the library organization for making exceptions, especially to ordinary library rules such as lending without a library card. But when it comes to what librarians understand as the most important and difficult task, i.e., ways in which visitors are approached, organizational support is inadequate. For the library organization, there is more to do to make the workplace more satisfying for librarians so that ethical gray areas can be minimized. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This study explores the impact of non-legitimate political influence on professional ethics in the librarian profession, focusing specifically on the Swedish context. It addresses the conflict between politics and public libraries, which jeopardizes the library's role as an open and democratic place. This study is based on qualitative interview studies within the research topic, which is a limited research method in the field. Employing a professional theoretical framework, this study examines variations in non-legitimate political influence experienced by public librarians and their strategies for navigating ethical challenges. It aims to illuminate the potential conflicts between political agendas and core library values, which can undermine public trust in the profession. By highlighting the unique conditions of Swedish libraries and analyzing the interplay of politics and library operations, this research contributes to a further understanding professional ethics within library and information science. Given the limited research on this topic, particularly in the Swedish context, filling this gap is important. Through interviews centered on undue political influence, the findings provide valuable insights into ethical dilemmas faced by librarians and exposes conflicting interests that may not align with the library's values. In summary, this research deepens our understanding of how non-legitimate political pressures challenge professional ethics in the librarian profession. It addresses the urgent need to bridge the research gap on professional ethics and lays the groundwork for future studies on this topic in library and information science.