Application
This policy is intended to guide staff in selection, retention and reconsideration of library materials. The policy provides the general public with a framework of the decision making process involved in managing the collection including actions related to challenged materials, donations, and removal of items from the collection.
Statement of purpose
In support of the library’s mission of providing library resources to our served area, the collection management policy provides the rationale for using public resources to add to and remove library materials from the collection. Library patrons are then able to discern the decision making process involved in managing the public resource represented by the library collection. This policy also informs and supports library staff in managing the collection.
Policy Statement
In keeping with the tenets of the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretations, the library collection is established to satisfy the informational and recreational needs of the public. The collection includes materials such as physical and digital formats of books, periodicals and other textual items, recorded audio and video, and also objects such as games, toys, equipment, crafts, and works of art. Collected and retained materials will be primarily of contemporary significance and intended for a nonprofessional audience. Experimental themes may be represented in the collection to provide breadth of exposure on changing areas of interest. Specialized materials or those of lasting value may also be collected or retained over time, particularly in regard to literature and related fields.
Criteria for selection and retention can include:
Accessibility to the user – Professional reputation of parties contributing to the creation of the materials – Format
| Accessibility to the user | Professional reputation of parties contributing to the creation of the materials | Format |
| Public interest | Quality of content | Price |
| Support of a community program | Timeliness and permanence | Other factors |
| Appearance or rating in selection aids | Current availability of similar material in the collection or library |
Responsibility
The Library Director or a designee holds responsibility for providing documents related to the policy to concerned parties. The Library Director is responsible for training and supporting staff regarding this and related collections policies. The Library Director will maintain a listing of staff members reflecting their collection management responsibilities including accessibility, selection, reconsideration and retention of library materials.
Approved Date: 5/8/2014
Revised Date:
Reviewed Date: