The U.K. Code of Practice for Consultants: A Partial Solution
| Published date | 01 April 1986 |
| Pages | 59-62 |
| Date | 01 April 1986 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047667 |
| Author | John Gurnsey |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The U.K. Code of Practice
for Consultants:
A Partial Solution
John Gurnsey
The U.K. code for consultants, which
was developed by the Library Association
and Institute of Information
Scientists, essentially establishes
a proper working relationship between
the consultant and client. This
basis is to some extent the
strength of the code, but it
is also its weakness. The code
provides a guide to good practice,
but it stops there, and does not
prescribe penalties for those who ignore
its dictates. It does not require
registration of qualified
consultants and/or establish
de-registration procedures.
The text of the code is appended.
It is now three years since the United King-
dom's Library Association (LA) and Institute of
Information Scientists (IIS) ratified the country's
first code of practice for consultants. It is hard
for even the code's most fervent supporters—or
its authors, of whom I am one—to claim that it
has been a major success. Downgraded soon after
its approval to the status of mere "guidelines for
consultants working in librarianship and information
science", the code provides a useful starting point.
But most observers would now admit that it provides
only part of what is needed in the complex and
controversial field of professional ethics.
The Need for a Code of Conduct
The initial work on the code grew out of
the recognition that library and information work
was changing. As regular employment opportunities
decreased in number, a significant freelance move-
ment arose. Thus, where there had always been
a small percentage of professional information staff
members working in consultation and related areas,
this area was now growing rapidly. Similarly, as
library automation became popular, there was a
sharp increase in short-term employment opportun-
ities for skilled people. Not only was the freelance
sector growing, but so too was the amount of work
available to that sector.
This trend presented potentially serious prob-
lems to members of the profession. Consultants
can have an effect on the image of the profession
out of all proportion to their numbers. Almost
by definition, consultants tend to report to very
senior staff members, either in industry or in the
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Gurnsey is a free lance consultant and writer.
He is a fellow of the U.K. Library Association and
a member of the Institute of Information Scien-
tists.
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