Instructing College Students on the Ethics of Information Use at the Reference Desk: A Guide and Literature Review

Abstract

As educators and members of the academic community, reference librarians should take a proactive stance towards instructing students on the ethics of information use. The authors summarize best practices from the existing library literature, consider the context of ethical information use from a global perspective, and make an argument for the role of librarians. Our goal is to provide a guide for librarians attempting to successfully integrate ethical issues such as intellectual property and academic integrity into their reference instruction.