Sheri Webber

1
Electronic Resources Management in Libraries
Examining the Ethical Climate
Introduction This study explores the ethical
climate of libraries with a particular focus on
issues of information ownership in the electronic
resources management environment. Modified
versions of Victor and Cullens ethical climate
typology (ECT) and ethical climate questionnaire
(ECQ) were employed to discern prevailing ethical
climate types in libraries generally and the
relationships between normative decision making
and actual practice in individual organizations.

• Research Design
• Ethical Climate Typology (ECT)
• Typologies determined by analysis along two
  dimensions
• Ethical orientation of the organization
• Egoism
• Utilitarianism
• Deontology
• Point of reference for decision-making support
• Reflexive (individual choice supersedes
  organizational norms)
• Self-prescribed norms (organizational policies)
• Peer-prescribed norms (professional codes)
• State-prescribed norms (laws)
• Ethical Climate Questionnaire (ECQ)
• Forty-five item ECQ developed using Snap Survey
  software
• Likert agreement scales regarding ethical
  decision making and the policies and practices of
  the organization
• Organizational and individual demographics
• Open-ended responses
• Sample

Data Review
Prevailing Ethical Climate Correlation Matrix
revealed three significant relationships
Factor Analysis revealed three principle
components
The first prevailing ECT may be described as
law-abiding, adhering to normative professional
code rather than professional practice that often
seeks to change the law.
Sheri Webber slw04f_at_fsu.edu Louis Shores
Building Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100 (850)
644-5772
Reference to professional codes is positively
correlated with self referencing as well as a
utilitarian orientation. Reference to law is
negatively correlated with reference to
organizational policy.
The first rotated prevailing ECT may be described
as being highly influenced by professional code
and concerned with larger societal issues when
making organizational decisions.
Reported Library Policy and Practice
No significant relationships were found between
policy and practice and ECT factors
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Expected Graduation Date June 2008