The Association of Personal Historians declared bankruptcy in 2017, but its code of ethics is still useful. Personal historians still need to uphold professional standards that protect the integrity of the profession and safeguard the interests of individual clients and narrators. The Code of Ethics states the core values of those of us helping others tell their personal stories (whether as memoirs, autobiographies, family histories, video tributes, and so on). Those values are to
• Conduct business according to impeccable standards of fairness and integrity.
• Represent honestly their qualifications, background, and professional affiliations.
• Provide clients with the highest quality of service possible.
• Work diligently and with reasonable promptness.
• Abide by agreements with clients and narrators, establishing new agreements as necessary.
• Act in the best interests of the client, narrator, and profession, avoiding conflicts of interest, activity or influence.
• Respect the inherent worth of all persons.
• Respect clients' and narrators' wishes about privacy, confidentiality, and nondisclosure.
• Respect the right of clients and narrators to hold values, beliefs, attitudes, and opinions that differ from their own.
• Respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status.
• Act honorably toward other members of the profession and the field as a whole.
Approved by the APH Board of Directors, November, 2005
Posted here by Pat McNees, 2018
• Conduct business according to impeccable standards of fairness and integrity.
• Represent honestly their qualifications, background, and professional affiliations.
• Provide clients with the highest quality of service possible.
• Work diligently and with reasonable promptness.
• Abide by agreements with clients and narrators, establishing new agreements as necessary.
• Act in the best interests of the client, narrator, and profession, avoiding conflicts of interest, activity or influence.
• Respect the inherent worth of all persons.
• Respect clients' and narrators' wishes about privacy, confidentiality, and nondisclosure.
• Respect the right of clients and narrators to hold values, beliefs, attitudes, and opinions that differ from their own.
• Respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status.
• Act honorably toward other members of the profession and the field as a whole.
Approved by the APH Board of Directors, November, 2005
Posted here by Pat McNees, 2018