Ethical practices and professional responsibilities in upholding confidentiality in academic libraries in Tanzania

Abstract

This study examines ethical practices and professional responsibilities in maintaining confidentiality during service delivery in Tanzanian academic libraries. Guided by Professionalism Theory, it employs a cross-sectional mixed-methods design, collecting quantitative data from 136 information professionals across four universities University of Dar es Salaam, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Mzumbe University, and University of Dodoma and qualitative insights via interviews and focus groups. Findings indicate that while ethical practices, especially equal access to information and user privacy protection, are generally upheld, inconsistencies exist in service reliability and alignment with user needs. Confidentiality is rated positively overall, although concerns remain about data security and unclear policies on user list disclosure. The study concludes that despite strong ethical commitment, challenges such as policy gaps and uneven implementation hinder effective confidentiality maintenance. It recommends enhanced ethics training, clear institutional policies, and stronger accountability to build user trust, improve satisfaction, and ensure ethical and professional responsibilities in academic library in Tanzania