Materials Selection Policy
Revised: February 2001
PURPOSE
The Mancos Public Library endeavors to provide books, library materials, and electronic resources, which meet the educational, informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the community. Materials selection at the Mancos Public Library seeks to provide balanced collections of library materials reflecting community demand and use in a variety of formats. The purpose of the materials selection policy of the Mancos Public Library is to guide librarians and inform the public about the principles upon which selections and retention decisions are made.
RESPONSIBILITY
Ultimate responsibility for the selection of library materials and electronic resources rests with the Library Director, who operates within the framework of policies determined by the Board of Trustees. The Director may delegate this responsibility to appropriately trained and skilled staff members, who will be guided by this policy, literary standards, selection tools, the interests of library patrons, and needs of the community.
GUIDELINES
Selection is a critical and interpretive process. Reviews are the principle tools used in the selection of library materials and electronic resources. Staff members selecting library materials are also assisted by bibliographical publications, authoritative discussions of the subject, publisher and vendor advertising, and requests from patrons.
Selection of books, library materials, and/or electronic resources shall be made on the basis of their value in terms of interest, information and enlightenment to people of the community. No book, library material, and/or electronic resource shall be excluded because of race, nationality, or the political or social views of the author.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
- Present and potential relevance to community needs.
- Suitability of subject, style, and reading level for the intended audience.
- Permanence, current relevance, or social significance of the content.
- Reputation and/or significance of author, publisher, or producer.
- Relationships to existing materials in the collections.
- Price, format, and suitability of physical form for library use.
- Positive critic’s and staff members’ review, in addition to positive reviews in appropriate professional journals.
COLLECTION MAINTENANCE
Weeding is the systematic removal from the collection of materials no longer useful. Weeding is necessary to maintain the purpose and quality of the resources and to properly utilize limited library space available. This process is an integral part of collection development and maintenance.
The Library keeps its collections vital and useful by retaining or replacing essential materials and removing on a systematic and continuous basis those works which are worn, outdated, no longer of interest, or have little historical significance.
CHALLENGED MATERIAL
The Mancos Public Library subscribes to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement, and therefore has a responsibility to protect the rights of all readers.
When a member of the community has a question or an objection concerning the presence of a book or other item in the collection, that person may request that the material be reevaluated. This person is requested to complete the form, “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials”. When the written complaint is received, a committee consisting of three trustees and two members of the community shall be chosen by the Board to review the complaint and the questioned material. All members of the committee will read, view, or listen to the material in question. The committee will then evaluate the material using published reviews and the foregoing policy and criteria. The committee may consider the opinion of the Director and the staff person responsible for the selection of the material. A report summarizing the committee’s evaluation will be prepared and sent to the person who submitted the “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials”.
If the patron is not satisfied with the committee’s report, he/she may request a hearing before the Library Board of Trustees.