Materials Selection Policy
The Board of Trustees of the
Hopkinton Town Library has adopted the following Materials Selection Policy.
The
Materials Selection Policy reflects principles of the Mission Statement which is
to serve the community and its citizens by providing materials and services
which inform, educate, entertain, and enrich residents of all ages.
The Library
supports the individual's right to have access to ideas and information
representing all points of view. The Board of Trustees of the Hopkinton Town
Library has adopted the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights
and the Freedom to Read statements, attached herewith.
Objectives
The Library
provides, within its financial limitations, a general collection of reliable
materials embracing broad areas of knowledge. Included are works of enduring
value as well as timely materials on current issues. Within the framework of
these broad objectives, selection is based on community needs, both those
expressed and those inferred from study of community demographics and evidence
of areas of interest.
Judicious
selection shall be exercised in all materials acquisition practices. Allocation
of the materials budget and the number of items purchased for each area of the
collection will be determined by indicators of use, the average cost per item,
and objectives for development of the collection. The Library will be aware of
the resources available in surrounding libraries and will develop its collection
with this in mind. In general, scholarly, highly specialized, or archival
materials are beyond the scope of the Library's collections.
Selection is a
discerning and interpretive process involving a general knowledge of the subject
and its important literature, a familiarity with the materials in the
collection, an awareness of the bibliographies on the subject, and recognition
of the needs of the community.
To build a
well-balanced collection of merit and significance, materials in all forms must
be measured by objective guidelines. Since the library does not promote
particular beliefs or views, the collection will contain various positions on
important questions, including unpopular or unorthodox positions. The Library
actively strives to ensure that materials representing many differing views and
a broad diversity of human thought and creativity are represented in its
collection. A balanced collection reflects a diversity of materials, not
necessarily an equality of numbers.
Responsibility for Selection
Ultimate
responsibility for the selection of library materials rests with the Library
Director who operates within the framework of policies determined by the Library
Board of Trustees. Those staff members who are qualified by reason of education,
training, or experience may assist in the selection of materials. The Director
will assure that appropriate selection tools will be available and track the
materials budget to ensure a flow of new materials throughout the year,
according to budget allocation. Suggestions from staff members not directly
involved with selection are encouraged and given serious consideration in the
selection process.
Selection of
materials will not be made on the basis of anticipated approval or disapproval,
but solely on the basis of the principles stated in this policy. Responsibility
for choosing what an individual will read rests with the individual.
Responsibility for the use of library materials by children and young adults
rests with their parents or legal guardians.
Criteria for Selection
All
acquisitions, whether purchased or donated, are considered in terms of the
following standards. An item need not meet all of the criteria in order to be
acceptable. Several criteria and combinations of criteria may be used, as some
materials may be judged primarily on artistic merit, while others are considered
because of scholarship, value as human documents, or ability to satisfy the
recreational and entertainment needs of the community.
New formats
shall be considered for the collection when, by industry report, national survey
results and evidence from local requests, a significant portion of the community
population has the necessary technology to make use of the format. Availability
of items in the format, the cost per item, and the Library's ability to acquire
and handle the items will also be factors in determining when a new format will
be collected. Similar considerations will influence the decision to delete a
format from the Library's collections.
Materials
selected must meet some or all of the following criteria:
(1) General
criteria:
Existing
collection needs
Relevance to community needs
High customer demand
Significance or reputation of author or publisher
Attention of critics and reviewers
Importance of human or social insight
Representation of current ideas, events, or mores
(2) Criteria for
non-fiction works:
Accuracy,
clarity and logic of presentation
Comprehensiveness and completeness of treatment
Qualifications of author
Enduring lasting value or strong current need
Originality of point of view
(3) Criteria for
fiction works:
Vitality and
originality
Artistic presentation or experimentation
Plot development and characterization development
Authenticity of setting
Representation of important genre or trend
Works of popular
authors
(4) Selection
may also be limited by the following factors:
Physical
limitations of the building
Price as a percent of acquisition budget and format
Availability of low-demand materials in other library collections
(5) Selection of
library materials will not be influenced by:
The possibility
that they may come into the possession of children or young adults
The liability of materials to theft or mutilation
The Library does
not acquire textbooks that support local curricula. Textbooks are acquired if
they serve the general public by providing information on subjects where little
or no material is available in any other form.
Tools used in
selection include professional journals, trade journals, subject bibliographies,
publishers' promotional materials and reviews from reputable sources. Purchase
suggestions from library customers are welcome and are given serious
consideration.
Donations and Gifts
Donations of
materials are gratefully accepted with the understanding that the Library may
add them to the collection if they meet established standards for purchased
materials, with emphasis on currency, physical condition, and need. All gifts
added to the collection must be available for public use. Materials not added to
the collection will be included in the Friends of the Library Book Sale or
disposed of by other means. The library cannot place a monetary value on gifts
for tax purposes, but receipts are provided upon request.
Monetary
donations are always welcome and may be designated as memorials. Gifts of
non-library items such as portraits or art objects ordinarily will not be
accepted.
Withdrawal of Materials
An attractive,
up-to-date, currently useful collection is maintained through a continual
discarding and replacing process. Materials may be withdrawn from the library
collection after careful consideration of the following:
• physical
condition • currency of information • lack of use • superseded by a new edition
or better work on the same subject
Materials
withdrawn from the collection may be included in the Friends of the Library Book
Sale, sold from the sale cart at the Library or disposed of by other means.
Individual items that are being withdrawn may not be saved for specific
individuals.
Requests for Reconsideration
The choice of
library materials by library users is an individual matter. While an individual
may reject materials for himself/herself, he/she cannot exercise censorship to
restrict access to the materials by others. Recognizing that a diversity of
materials may result in some requests for reconsideration, the following
procedures have been developed to assure that objections or complaints are
handled in an attentive and consistent manner. Once an item has been approved
for purchase, based on the selection policy of the Board of Trustees and the
criteria for selection, it will not be automatically removed upon request. (See
Addendum 1)
Addendum 1
Procedure Request For Reconsideration
A. Any
individual expressing an objection to or concern about library material should
receive respectful attention from the staff member first approached. If the
individual is not satisfied with the explanation received, the staff member
should offer the option of speaking with the Library Director who after
discussion will offer a "Request for Reconsideration" form if appropriate. The
customer may ask for reconsideration in the following manner:
1) A "Request
for Reconsideration" form (see Addendum 2) must be completed and returned to the
Director. The Director may respond in writing to the individual, advising
him/her that there will be reconsideration of the item and by enclosing a copy
of the "Selection Policy of the Hopkinton Town Library."
2) The Director,
after consulting with the appropriate staff, will appoint a review team to
reconsider the item. Copies of the form and any reviews of the item will be
examined.
3) The reviewers
will put their comments in writing to the Director prior to meeting to discuss
the title.
4) The Director
will compile the comments and convene a meeting of the reviewing team which will
make its recommendation.
5) The Director
will then make a decision regarding the disposition of the material. The
Director will communicate this decision, along with the reasons for it, in
writing to the individual who initiated the request.
B. If the
individual desires further action, he/she may appeal in writing to the Library
Board of Trustees, requesting a hearing before the Board. If a hearing is
granted, the individual will be notified of when he/she may address the Board.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to limit the length of presentation and
number of speakers at the hearing. The Board will determine whether the request
for reconsideration has been handled in accordance with stated policies and
procedures of the Hopkinton Town Library. On the basis of this determination,
the Board may vote to uphold or override the decision of the Director.
Approved by
Hopkinton Town Library Board of Trustees: March 18, 2003
