LA Code of professional conduct: A Contradiction

Abstract

I wish to examine one particular contradiction in the LA's Code in a little depth. As I write, two persons I know well who used a number of libraries, are now serving prison sentences. The first was convicted of manslaughter; he is young, very tall, and his only use of libraries was to read electoral registers together with the related telephone directory. At his trial ninety‐eight witnesses gave a picture of persons being tracked down by him and living in fear as a result. It has been claimed that because of paragraph hi in the Code, his activities in the library cannot be mentioned to the police as the Code here forbids members to divulge to a third party, material or information entrusted to them in confidence. The second is an undischarged bankrupt with superficial charm. He tried to sell a non‐existent directory he said he was “publishing” to a number of libraries at the end of 1984. He advertised for staff in the local job centre, and had a limited company. His legal credit limit was £10, yet he was convicted of obtaining £7,210 credit by fraud. One person's conduct is sometimes very destructive to the whole community!