POSEYVILLE CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

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1 POSEYVILLE CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY PURPOSE The purpose of the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library Collection Development Policy is to provide guidelines for day-to-day acquisition and withdrawal decisions, resource allocation and long-range planning of collection needs in accordance with the library s mission statement of service to individuals and groups of all ages in the community in meeting of their education, information, and recreational interests and needs. Ultimate responsibility for materials selection and collection maintenance rests with the Library Director who operates within the policies determined by the Board of Trustees. The Library Director may delegate the responsibilities for specific subject areas and formats regarding the evaluation, acquisition, retention, and withdrawal of materials. FORMAT Materials are purchased in most appropriate format for library use. Formats include print, audiovisual, digital, and multi-media materials. The library recognizes the place of non-print formats in the collection as legitimate educational and recreational resources for the community it serves. The library monitors the development of new formats and, within budgetary and technical limitations, adds these to the collection. Choice of new formats will be based on patron demand, community trends, new product development, and positive critical reviews. MATERIAL SELECTION The purpose of the selection process is to obtain a balanced collection of retrospective and contemporary material in various media that is responsive to a broad range of community interests and needs. The Board of Trustees of Poseyville Carnegie Public Library adopts and declares that the American Library Association s Intellectual Freedom Statements will guide the development of the library s collections. Specifically, the library will adhere to and support the American Library Association s Library Bill of Rights (Appendix A), Freedom to Read (Appendix B), and Freedom to View (Appendix C). Library materials selection will be made from current review sources, standard lists, patron requests, and library staff recommendations. Materials receiving unfavorable reviews may be selected if there is significant patron demand. Patron requests are always welcome, but a request does not mean the item will be purchased. Library staff will make every attempt to assist the patron in obtaining the material through

2 Reciprocal Borrowing or the Inter-Library Loan program. Items that are requested multiple times may be added to the collection as long as funding allows. Generally, due to space limitations, only one copy of an item is purchased for each library s collection. For a very high demand title, an additional copy may be purchased. Since the library cannot limit its selection to books suitable for only children or adolescents but must also consider its adult audience, some books may be deemed by parents as inappropriate reading material for their children. It will be up to the parents to determine what, if any, print or non-print material is inappropriate for their children. The library will not act as a judge, but may question a subject selection choice due to the actual age of the child and the suggested age range of the material. The Library Director or circulation staff may suggest that the selection not by checked out until a parent or guardian has come in and given their approval. The Library will make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those which are unorthodox or unpopular with the majority. Books of doubtful value will be included occasionally for their timeliness, such as campaign biographies, books on current media topics or works of fiction which have caused a widespread discussion or curiosity. The library will not censor any material in its collection. No markings will be placed on materials to show any potential controversial contents. No items will be removed from the general collection areas based on content alone. GENEALOGY, ARCHIVE, & LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS Materials dealing with the area of Posey County, Indiana and/or the families who have resided in the area may not be available for circulation but may be accessed in house. Materials deemed of important historic value or which are not present in the collections of other libraries are housed in the archive collection. These materials must be retrieved by a library staff member and are not available for check out. They are for in house use only. RECONSIDERATION OF MATERIALS The library serves a pluralistic community and library materials that are acceptable to one patron may not be acceptable to another. The Board of Trustees believes that individuals may reject for themselves library materials which they do not approve; however individuals do not have the right to restrict the freedom of others to use those materials. Nevertheless, the library permits patrons to request the materials be reviewed for reconsideration. A form is provided for a patron wishing to request that the Library Director reconsider a specific title currently in its collection. The patron completes the form and submits it to the director. The director will review the title and write a letter of response to the patron within two weeks. If the patron has further concerns after receiving the letter, they will be allowed to address the library

3 board at the next regular meeting. All complaints about library materials are viewed in the context of the collection development policy. COLLECTION MAINTENANCE The library strives to maintain a collection that meets the needs of the community. In doing so, a systematic evaluation of the library s collection improves the efficiency and vitality of the library resources. Materials are evaluated for its continued usefulness, its condition and appearance, and its interest to the community. Weeding (de-selection) is a continual process and a necessary component of collection development. It is a subjective activity, and cannot be dictated by a mechanical formula or based solely on circulation statistics. Weeding may include replacing materials, updating editions or discarding items. Criteria for weeding may include, but is not limited to, physical condition, frequency of circulation, currency of information, permanent value to the collection, unnecessary copies or the presence of similar materials in the collection, space to house the item, and discontinuation of format. Reference materials retaining informational value may be transferred to the circulation collection or offered to other libraries or nonprofit organizations within the community. GIFTS The Poseyville Carnegie Public Library gratefully accepts gifts and donations with the following conditions: Books and materials: The library accepts gifts of books, movies, magazines, and sound recordings but reserves the right to evaluate and dispose of them in accordance with the same criteria applied to purchased materials. Generally, items will be selected for the library collections if they are in good condition and likely to be in demand or fill in gaps in the collection. Materials may be disposed of without notifying the donor if later examination indicates the library cannot use it. The library retains the right to determine where donated items will be utilized. Donated materials that are not added to the collection are disposed of at the discretion of the Library Director. The majority of those materials are added to the materials to be sold in book sales. Materials that are determined to be of an unsalable condition are recycled. The library will not appraise donated books for tax purposes. The library will provide (upon request) a receipt for tax purposes of the donor with a space for the donor s estimated value of the materials.

4 Memorial Gifts: Individuals or groups may wish to make donations to the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library in memory of a friend or a relative. Memorial gifts are acknowledged as follows: An acknowledgement is mailed to the donor Notification is mailed (or ed) to the designated family member or friend of the deceased informing them a donation has been made and who made it. Donor plates are attached to the materials purchased with the gift when appropriate or has been requested by the family of the deceased. Memorial donations are used to purchase books, audio books, movies, furniture, equipment, or to fund programs, depending on the wishes of the donor. The purchase of specifically identified titles with gift funds cannot be guaranteed, nor does the donor have the right to approve of titles before purchase. However, donors are encouraged to recommend subject areas.

5 Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Send or Deliver in Person to: Poseyville Carnegie Public Library P.O. Box S. Cale St. Poseyville, IN You may also contact the library by phone (812) , by or by visiting our website Please fill out this following form in its entirety so that the Director and Board of Trustees can properly address your concerns about the library material you would like reconsidered. When the Director and Library Board reach a decision you will be notified in writing. Thank you. Title Author/Artist Book Magazine DVD CD Other Publisher/Date Library Barcode Number Please state the reason for your request. Have you read/viewed/listened to this work/exhibition in its entirety? What are the positive points of this material? Why did you initially choose this item? Is there a work that you would recommend that would convey the ideas about this subject in its place? What would you like the library to do about this work?

6 Have you read the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library s Intellectual Freedom and/or Collection Development Policy? Yes No If no, would you consider reading the policies to better understand the library s initial decision to purchase this material? Yes No Request initiated by: Name Address Phone Number/ Signature of Patron: Date Staff Member that Received the Request: Date