In recent years, library professionals have been struggling with the idea of neutrality, debating whether it is even possible to achieve and, if so, whether it is desirable. This study examined public librarians’ definitions of “neutrality” and asked questions about how this “neutrality” affects their work in libraries. A total of 540 US library workers from 40 different states responded. The most commonly held definition was “being objective in providing information.” Although definitions varied somewhat, there was a high level of agreement with what constitutes neutrality across different scenarios. There were also indications of conflict between personal beliefs and professional values.

近年来，图书馆专业人员一直在努力寻求中立性，争论是否有可能实现，如果有的话，是否有必要。这项研究检查了公共图书馆员对“中立性”的定义，并询问有关这种“中立性”如何影响他们在图书馆工作的问题。来自40个不同州的540名美国图书馆工作者对此做出了回应。最常用的定义是“在提供信息时要客观”。尽管定义有些不同，但是对于在不同情况下构成中立性的问题达成了很高的共识。还有迹象表明，个人信仰和职业价值观之间存在冲突。