COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Adopted by the Board of
Trustees
of the Paris-Bourbon County Library
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201
LIBRARY GOAL FOR COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
The Paris-Bourbon County Library shall select, organize and maintain a
quality collection of library materials which will provide a basis for
community information, education, recreation and historical
preservation in the Library District.
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202
PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT/SELECTION POLICY
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
The purpose of the Paris Bourbon County Library collection
development/materials selection policy is to guide librarians and to
inform the public about the principles upon which selection is made.
A policy cannot replace the judgment of the librarian, but stating
goals and indicating boundaries will be of assistance in choosing from
the array of available materials.
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203
DEFINITION OF MATERIALS SELECTION
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
“Selection” refers to the decision that must be made either to add
material to the collection or to retain material already in the
collection. “Library materials” and other synonyms as they may
appear in this policy have the widest possible meaning; all forms of
contemporary, recorded mass communication, from the traditional
printed forms to the latest developments in non-print media, are
therefore included in this definition.
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204
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Responsibility for the initial selection of books and other materials
shall lie with the professional staff. Designated staff members
are responsible for specific areas of the total collection.
Other staff members and the public may request materials for
consideration. The ultimate responsibility for selection rests
with the Library Director operating within the framework of policies
determined by the Board of Trustees of the Paris-Bourbon County
Library.
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204.01
GENERAL PROCESS FOR SELECTION
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Selection shall be based on the merits of a work in relation to the
needs, interests and demands of the entire community. Basic to
this policy are the “Library Bill of Rights,” the “Freedom to Read
Statement,” and the “Freedom to View Statement” as adopted by the
American Library Association, and to which this library subscribes.
Materials that some portion of the community may find objectionable
shall not be automatically rejected. Selection is made on the
basis of whether the item presents life in its true proportions,
whether characters and situations are realistically presented, whether
the item has literary, artistic, or informational merit, and whether
the item is representative of a current trend or genre.
Based on the services it is expected to perform, it is the
responsibility of the library to provide circulating, reference, and
resource materials for the public. Special collections shall be
developed and maintained when indicated by community interest.
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205
SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES FOR SELECTION
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
The following principles will be taken into consideration when
selecting item to be added to the collection:
1.
Contemporary significance or
permanent value.
2.
Accuracy of content.
3.
Authority of the author or
producer.
4.
Relation of the work to the
existing collection.
5.
Price, format and ease of
use.
6.
Availability of information
in the subject area.
7.
Availability of material
elsewhere---holdings of other libraries in the area are considered in
developing the Library’s collection.
8.
Adequate coverage of
controversial issues.
9.
Response to popular demand,
including a representative sampling of experimental or ephemeral
material.
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206
TEXTBOOKS
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Providing textbooks and curriculum materials is the responsibility of
schools. Textbooks may be purchased for the collection when they
supply information in areas in which they may be the best or the only,
source of information on the subject. The public library shall
not assume responsibility for purchasing textbooks for wide and
general distribution.
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207
GIFTS
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
A
gift for the library collection may consist of materials or funds for
the purchase of materials recommended by the library staff, or for the
purchase of specific items suggested by the donor and recommended by
the staff for inclusion. The library encourages gifts not
earmarked for specific items to permit the most flexible use of the
donation for the enrichment of the collection.
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207.01
GIFT CRITERIA
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Gift additions shall meet the same selection criteria as purchased
materials. In some cases, titles are received which could not
have been acquired from library funds because of budget limitations.
If gifts of marginal value are offered, processing costs and use of
shelf space are considered before the gift can be accepted. Any
gift accepted by the Library shall be subject to the following
conditions:
1.
The library retains
unconditional ownership of the gift.
2.
The library makes the final
decision on its own use or disposition of the gift.
3.
The library reserves the
right to decide the conditions of display, housing, and access to the
donated materials.
Any offers of substantial worth (i.e., equipment, art objects, special
collections, etc.) should be referred to the Library Director.
Such offers will be accepted/rejected based on considerations of need,
appropriateness, maintenance, precedence, etc. Any gift accepted
shall be subject to the conditions of acceptance outlined above.
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207.02
DETERMINING VALUE OF GIFTS
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
The library shall not affix a value for income tax purposes to any
gift accepted. This is the responsibility of the donor.
The library will acknowledge the gift by letter. It is the
donor’s responsibility to maintain all personal records pertaining to
a gift for which he/she is claiming as a tax deduction.
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208
COLLECTION MAINTENANCE
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
The Library Director shall establish procedures for maintaining the
collection and retaining it in attractive and usable condition.
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208.01
REPLACEMENT
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
It is the Library’s policy not to automatically replace all books
withdrawn because of loss, damage or wear. Need for replacement
in each case is judged by two factors: (1) the existence of adequate
coverage in the field by similar material, especially if there is
later and better material; and (2) demand for the specific title.
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208.02
BINDING AND MENDING
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Keeping materials in good physical condition is essential.
Decisions must be made continuously on how to handle worn books ---
whether to mend, bind, or withdraw them. Each decision is based
on the condition of the book, current validity of its contents,
availability for reorder and cost of binding versus replacement.
Replacement is preferable to binding if costs are comparable.
Binding is preferable to mending if a title is expected to have
long-term usefulness, as for example, genealogical material.
Mending is done only when need is detected early and the result is an
attractive appearance.
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208.03
WEEDING
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Weeding is selection in reverse---it is the withdrawal of items no
longer suitable for or useful in the collection. Weeding is a
thorough and conscientious effort to achieve a well-balanced
collection and it should be a continuous and consistent process.
Factors to be considered in weeding are:
1.
Physical condition of the
material.
2.
Slow-moving material not
listed in standard sources; e.g. Fiction Catalog.
3.
Items containing subject
matter no longer of current interest.
4.
Multiple copies of titles no
longer in demand.
5.
Old editions replaced by
later revisions of non-fiction titles.
6.
Retention of local materials
and materials by Bourbon County and Kentucky authors.
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209
REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
The Library Director shall establish procedures for evaluating and
responding to any citizen request to expunge or add specific materials
to the library collection.
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209.02
CITIZENS’ REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
[Created April 16, 2003, Last Reviewed February 18, 2004]
Individuals or groups may occasionally question the suitability of
particular books or other materials for the library collection.
All such criticism should be presented in writing to the Library
Director on the form “Request for Reconsideration of Library
material.”
The completed form and a copy of the material in question will be
considered for review and evaluation. The review of questioned
materials will be treated objectively and as an important matter.
General acceptance of the material will be checked by consulting
authoritative lists and critical reviews in light of the library
selection policy. Passages will not be taken out of context and
the material will be evaluated in its entirety.
A
committee consisting of three (3) to five (5) appropriate staff
members will report its evaluation and recommended action to the
Library Director. Within 30 days after receipt of the
reconsideration request the Library Director will inform the
complainant of the results of the committee’s evaluation and any
action that will be taken by the library. In the event of an
appeal of the decision of the Library Director by the complainant the
Library Board will serve as the final arbiter.
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210
GENEALOGY
[Created November 19, 2003,
Last
Reviewed February 18, 2004, Last Modified November 19, 2003]
The library attempts
to acquire genealogical materials that will be of interest to the
community while at the same time not replicating the resources held by
other libraries in the region. Material selection is the sole
responsibility of the director, though suggestions from local
genealogists will be considered. All care will be taken in the case of
weeding the genealogy collection; however, physical condition may
warrant selective weeding. No genealogical materials from the
reference genealogy collection may be checked out. In addition, no
genealogy materials may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
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211
VIDEO/DVD SELECTION CRITERIA FOR LIBRARY-SPONSORED VIEWING DURING
PROGRAMS
[Created April 21, 2004, Last Reviewed April 21, 2004, Last Updated
April 21, 2004]
· These
materials should fall within the parameters of the selection policy
for the collection.
· Only
materials covered by paid viewing rights for public performance will
be shown, in accordance with state, federal, and international laws
regarding copyright and intellectual property. Other materials that do
not fall under the jurisdiction of such paid rights will not be shown
without express release or permission from the creator(s) of the
material in question.
· A
library staff member or volunteer should be present at all times
during library-sponsored viewing
· Materials
will be a part of regular programming designed by a panel of two or
more selectors. Selectors may also include trustees, other regional
library personnel with background in selection, and members of youth
or adult advisory boards. Performance will be tied to a library theme,
such as a Screwball Comedy series or a Film Noir series; a different
example of thematic tie would be the showing of Toy Story
during a week-long exhibit of antique children's toys, or a showing of
The Aristocats during a cat-themed week of other Youth Service
programs.
· Unrated
films will not be shown unless they fall into the category of
local-interest/high-interest documentary. Non-rated documentaries will
be shown only at adult programs (those designed for ages 18 and over).
· All
programming will show only films for the appropriate age group, and
will be advertised accordingly. In other words, only those films
bearing a G rating will be shown for elementary-school-aged
participants; films shown for teens must bear G, PG, or PG-13 ratings.
· The
showing of films must not be in any competition with any local
for-profit theater.
· LIBRARY-SPONSORED
PERFORMANCE MUST BE HANDLED CAREFULLY. The collection itself is (or
should be) a diverse collection of materials presented in a
non-judgmental atmosphere so that each patron may choose according to
his personal beliefs or need for information. Library-sponsored
performance is different in that often only one viewpoint is presented
within a single performance. For this reason, library-sponsored
performance must not present the political or religious beliefs of one
group alone.
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