The authors

Value considerations and ethics are increasingly relevant in the library and information science (LIS) field, both in education, research and in the profession. Change management in LIS therefore needs input from studies of professional values among librarians and information professionals. The article presents some preliminary findings from the first survey of professional values in Norwegian librarianship. International surveys have shown that patron service, intellectual freedom, preservation of the record, equality of access, and information literacy are primary ethical and professional values for librarians and information professionals in many countries. The Norwegian survey in general supports these findings but also identifies and explains some nuances in value preferences among public librarians compared with college and university librarians. Electronic access The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0307-4803.htm Methodology The article presents some preliminary findings from the first survey of professional values in Norwegian librarianship. It is intended as the first step in a continuous, annual series study of value orientation among Norwegian librarians, library staff and information professionals. The design is open to other interested library and information science (LIS) scholars who would like to develop international comparisons, which are needed. The Norwegian sample was gathered electronically over a six-week period from 15 March to 1 Ma