National Library of Australia Social Media Policy and Guidelines

The National Library of Australia (NLA) has released Social Media Policy and Guidelines that are intended to "provide clarity to employees on how to conduct themselves in the emerging world of social media."

The NLA encourages employees to participate in online life but outlines their responsibilities when using social networking media. For example, in their online activities in an official capacity, employees are subject to the same standards required by the Public Service Act 1999 as they are in a physical workplace. The same attitude exists, as far as I can tell, in Canadian public sector departments and agencies that encourage their workforce to engage in social media.

This includes, according to the NLA document:

• behaving honestly and with integrity
• not providing false or misleading information in response to a request for information that is made for official purposes in connection with APS employment
• dealing appropriately with information, recognising that some information needs to remain confidential
• being apolitical, impartial and professional
• delivering services fairly, effectively, impartially and courteously to the Australian public
• behaving with respect and courtesy, and without harassment
• being sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public
• taking reasonable steps to avoid conficts of interest
• making proper use of Commonwealth resources