I really appreciated the discussions that were fostered in each of our book clubs and the unique perspectives that came out as we all talked about how reading selections affected us differently. This led to some missteps in speaking that, I feel, were capable of being navigated better because of the intimate setting we were in compared to the reaction we may have gotten in a larger group. I know, for me personally, there was a reading where I really didn’t understand the content being discussed because it isn’t a medium that I used, but I was capable of using my experience as an individual to understand the issue being talked about. I connected back to things that were common knowledge to me that I often don’t think of as not being something that most people are unaware of. When this was pointed out to me in discussion, it really made me stop and think, but because our moderators were prepared for open discussion, I was capable of navigating these comments in a way I don’t think would have been nearly as easy in a larger group.
I chose the Nonprofit and SAA codes of ethics because the other organization I was interested in (the ALA) I had read before. These were quite comparable to this previous reading though. The nonprofit reading provided a brief overview of how such organizations may adopt their own, unique codes of ethics, as they should consider their place as a nonprofit and in the context of the work they were doing. The SAA code, I feel, represented many of the same things that the ALA code does. Keeping in mind the expectations and foundations of archives and libraries, each of these codes of ethics creates guidelines that will uphold these beliefs.
In the examples I read for class, both explicitly stated that the codes of ethics were sets of guidelines. While individual organizations may expect people to act under them, there is no governing entity to make anyone follow the principles set forth in each of these documents. Still, reading them makes them seem like common sense. If you are an archivist, for example, and you have chosen that profession because it is something you care about, why would you risk the integrity of maintaining collections by turning away material that fits into your organization’s mission due to some beliefs you as an individual may have? I think the codes of ethics are a way to remind people that, within an organization, it is the organization and not the individual that should be guiding decisions that further the integrity of the group one works for. Of course, I think that such documents also make it possible to uphold decisions that go against detrimental practices that may be harmful to the integrity of the profession.
Raven K 
Good point about no one enforcing the codes of ethics, making them something that people can turn to but not something that is being supervised, really. Also good point about how it’s the needs and wants of the organization that dictate people’s actions and not necessarily the individual’s values. This can be important to keep in mind in certain sticky situations. This is probably also why making codes of ethics for for-profit organizations is harder: the organization’s goals are very different from those of a non-profit.
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I appreciate what you said about the smaller groups for book clubs allowing you the time and space to digest things at your own rate. It was a much more comfortable setting where I felt like throwing your feelings out there was acceptable and then you could truly listen to responses. It reminds me of what we just talked about in class this week on how sometimes in class it feels like people only respond to the teacher and not to each other. I guess in this setting there was no teacher (except facilitators) but even with that it really felt like we bounced ideas off of each other and the responses were quick and naturally flowing.
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I agree with Zoe: creating code of ethics for for-profit organizations is likely harder than working with non-profit. I like the point you raised about the code of ethics reminding individuals that the focus is on the organization and not the individual beliefs.
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I agree with you and Casey that it was cool to see how the conversation flowed when we had a flatter dynamic going (even though there was a leader, it felt very informal). It felt like we were all very invested in the success of our peers’ book clubs, which made the class discussion feel very collaborative. Whereas sometimes, if people get tired toward the end of a discussion they check out and stop talking (I know I do this), during the book clubs it felt like everyone really pushed themselves to contribute because we wanted everyone’s book club to go well.
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