Selectors
Librarians select all print and non-print materials within their areas of departmental responsibility.
Reviews
Reviewing sources for materials selection include, but are not necessarily limited to the following publications: School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Billboard.
Citizen’s Request for Acquisition of Materials
All requests from patrons for specific titles or subjects will be considered. Positive reviews for these requests are sought from professional reviewing sources. If there is adequate demand or interest in a title or subject, an item with unfavorable or mixed reviews may be purchased, unless it is entirely without literary merit or social value, or the subject in question is already covered by higher quality materials.
Citizen’s Request for Review of Materials
A citizen who verbally questions the inclusion of materials in the library’s collection shall be referred to a librarian. If the concern cannot be resolved through discussion, the citizen will be asked to complete the “Request for Reconsideration of Library Material" form.
The Director or Assistant Director will appoint two or more librarians to review the material in question and to submit independent reports on their findings with a recommendation regarding the disposition of the material. The materials will remain in circulation until a final decision is made by the Director or Assistant Director. The citizen will be notified of the decision in writing.
Specialized Materials
Referral to other library collections and interlibrary loan will be used to supply patrons with specialized materials. Supplementary materials for students and information for specialists are provided in a limited number of fields. The library recognizes the resources of other community providers and therefore avoids unnecessary duplication in subject areas which are the special prerogative of other community resources.
Multiple Copies
The library recognizes the need for timely provision of materials in high demand. The staff aims to provide one copy for every three to four reserves for a popular title.
Replacement of Materials
The Library does not automatically replace all books withdrawn from the collection because of damage, loss or wear. The following principles, singly or collectively, will govern the replacement of materials: number of copies, existence of adequate coverage of a field, current and higher quality titles on the topic, and demand for the particular title or subject. Every effort will be made to replace important titles. Sometimes only reprint or paperback editions of replacement titles are available and will be purchased to fill the need. In some cases, when cost, estimated wear and sturdiness of the reprint warrant it, replacement by reprint is preferred.
Access
Processing and shelving of materials shall in no way reflect a value judgment of the materials. There will be no labeling of any item or of its bibliographic record to indicate a particular point of view or bias. The Library assures free access to its holdings. All patrons are free to select or reject for themselves any item in the collection. Individual prejudice about a particular item or type of material in the collection shall not preclude its use by others. Materials for youth are kept together to facilitate ease of use. Children are not limited to use of the youth collection and have unlimited access to the entire library collection.
Gifts
The same criteria used to select purchased items shall be applied to donations of gift materials. The library can accept only such gifts as will justify their inclusion in the collection. Inclusion will be based upon patron interest, processing costs, and availability of shelf space. Gifts and donations that are not accepted for the collection will be sold, donated to needy organizations, or discarded.
Budget Impact
Funds are allocated annually to each service area and library departments must make purchases within these budget constraints. It is expected that each service area will give due consideration to its reference collection and its circulating materials - popular, standard and scholarly.
