Code of Conduct

IASA Code of Conduct

IASA is a voluntary non-governmental association that upholds a self-imposed obligation to professionalism and commitment. This status relies on generally accepted standards of behaviour and communication, sharing of knowledge and experience, and integrity by all IASA members.

IASA is committed to providing an environment of cooperation and collaboration among its members as is reflected in the IASA Constitution as endorsed by the IASA membership and published at www.iasa-web.org/iasa-constitution.

Objective

The IASA Code of Conduct provides general guidelines for conduct by IASA Members during conferences, events, meetings, committee and other volunteer work, mentoring relationships, and all online spaces including (but not limited to) social media and listservs.

The Code embodies shared values and experiences that contribute to any member’s individual ethical judgments and decisions. Whereas the Code sets out guidelines for the ethical conduct of all IASA members, it cannot deal specifically with all circumstances that may arise.

Nonetheless, each IASA Member shares the responsibility to ensure that individual and collective conduct is appropriate.

Guiding Values

• IASA Members will embrace the Constitution and its provisions.
• IASA Members will seek to uphold the reputation of the profession and regularly upgrade their professional knowledge and skills, as well as maintain awareness of technological developments, procedures, and standards that are relevant to their field.
• IASA Members will encourage and support colleagues in their professional development.
• IASA Members will act with integrity towards colleagues and fellow members.
• IASA Members will at all times behave in a respectful manner. Discrimination based on age, race, colour, gender identity, sexual preference, religious belief or lack thereof, political persuasion, or national origin will not be tolerated.
• IASA believes in the free sharing of knowledge and experience to aid the development and growth of its members and the development of archival ideals. IASA Members will act in a spirit of collaboration, not competition, with fellow members and colleagues.
• IASA Members will not knowingly be party to the dissemination of false or misleading information, and will not deliberately withhold information (except where the confidentiality of a third party is involved) relating to their collections or areas of expertise.
• IASA Members will not misuse information or materials supplied to them in the spirit of the cooperation described above. Unauthorized copying of another archive's material, unattributed or unacknowledged use of the results of another archive's work or expertise, and breaches of confidentiality are deemed to be serious violations of professional standards.
• IASA Members will not engage in conduct that will bring the profession and/or IASA into disrepute.
• IASA Members will not speak in the name of the IASA without the consent of the IASA Executive Board.

Committees and Selections

• Committee and Section Officers and members are expected to contribute to the work of the Committee and Section in the furtherance of the aims of the Committee and Section, and to share their knowledge and experience in good faith.
• Cooperation between members of a Committee and of the Committee as a whole with other parts of IASA shall follow generally accepted standards of behaviour and communication.
• Members should actively work towards the improvement of IASA services in general and acknowledge the need to protect the reputation and integrity of IASA.

If There Is A Complaint

Should a member or a Committee or Section act in a manner that is deemed contrary to IASA’s generally accepted standards of behaviour, a complaint may be lodged against a member of Committee or Section. Procedures are outlined in the By-Laws of the IASA Constitution (refer to By-Laws to Procedure to Deal with A Serious Complaint Against a Member or Supporter and By-Laws to Committees, Sections, and Task Forces, Parts 10 and 20).

IASA Executive Board, 2017