Collection Development and Management Policy

Collection Development is the ongoing process of assessing the material available for purchase or licensing and making decisions about their inclusion within the library.

Definitions

The term “library materials collection,” “library materials,” or “collection” mean books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, library programs or other synonyms as they may occur in the Policy having the widest possible meaning. This statement of Policy applies to all Library Materials in the collection, including adult, young adult and juvenile. However, this Policy and the term “Library Materials” does not apply to Internet sites available through the Library’s computers or Internet collection. The Library has no control over the content of the Internet. Please see the Internet Use Policy for any issues related to computer or Internet Use.

The term “selection” refers to the decision to add, retain or withdraw material in the collection. It does not refer to reader guidance.

Scope of Collection

The library materials collection, one of Flat River Community Library’s major assets, is developed and managed to meet the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs of FRCL’s patrons. Since libraries cannot possibly acquire all print and non-print materials, it must employ a policy of selectivity in acquisitions. The Library provides, within its financial limitations, a general collection of materials embracing broad areas of knowledge and literary and cultural genres. Included are works of enduring value and timely materials on current issues.

Collections are reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis to meet community needs. Collections are current and popular, not archival, and materials are not needlessly duplicated. The library strives to provide current and factual information, to supplement and enrich individual learning, and to provide materials for recreational reading and other leisure time activities. This information should be readily available to the total community regardless of gender, age, education, language, religion, ethnic and cultural background, or mental and physical ability. The library will be guided by a sense of responsibility to both current and future patrons in adding materials that will enrich the collections and maintain an overall balance. Materials are withdrawn from the collection to maintain the collection’s usefulness, currency and relevance. Withdrawn materials may be sold or used in collaboration with community agencies or otherwise disposed of.

Other community resources and area library resources are taken into consideration when developing collections. Through Interlibrary Loan, Staff may obtain materials from other institutions for the use of FRCL patrons. Information sources made available electronically will be selected using the same principles that are applied to books and other formats. New formats will be considered when a significant portion of the community creates a demand.

The Library supports the individual’s right to access ideas and information representing all points of view. To this end, the Library welcomes and solicits patron suggestions, comments and ideas about the collection and its development. The library does not restrict access to reading, viewing, or listening to its materials based on age and provides equal access to all library resources for all library users. The Board of Trustees recognizes that while individuals are free to reject for themselves materials of which they do not approve, they cannot restrict the freedom of others to read, listen, and view within any guideline set forth by the library.

The Flat River Community Library Board of Trustees has adopted the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement and Freedom to View Statement. The Library recognizes and respects intellectual property rights and conforms to legislative mandates regarding copyright protections.

Collection Development and Management Criteria

To build and maintain a collection of merit, materials are evaluated according to one or more of the following criteria. An item need not meet all of these criteria to be acceptable.

Current and potential relevance to community needs
Suitability of subject and style for intended audience
Attention by critics and expert reviewers
Cost
Requests by patrons
Present collection composition
Accuracy, timeliness, currency, and validity
Comparison with other available titles in existing collection
Cultural significance and critical acclaim
Local interest
Comprehensiveness
Skill, competence, purpose of author
Reputation and significance of author
Consideration of the work as a whole
Representation of diverse points of view
Relevance to the experiences and contributions of diverse populations
Suitability in physical form for library use
Technical quality
Availability of materials elsewhere in the community

Use of materials, in all formats, is the most powerful influence on the Library’s collection. Purchase of new titles and withdrawal of old materials are both influenced by current and historic circulation rates.

Works of imagination are judged by different standards than are works of information and opinion. Materials are judged as a whole rather than on isolated portions.

No materials shall be excluded because of the race, nationality, religion, political or social view (gender, sexual orientation) of the author.

The library acknowledges a particular interest in local and state history. Therefore, it will seek to acquire state and municipal public documents as well as works by Michigan authors and general works related to the State of Michigan. However, the library is under no obligation to add everything about Michigan (or produced by authors, printers or publishers with Michigan connections) to its collections if it does not seem to be in the public interest to do so.

Gifts of Library Materials

FRCL will accept unrestricted, irrevocable gifts of books and other library materials. Gifts and donations are accepted with the understanding that they will be evaluated by the same criteria used to select and purchase materials for addition to the collection. All gifts and donated materials (including works of local authors) become the property of the Library. The manner of disposition of any materials which are not added to the collection will be decided by the Library.

Collection Structure

The placement of materials within the library is determined by several factors. This library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification scheme which divides material by subject. Catalogers use Dewey and Library of Congress subject headings to place materials into the proper subject areas and assign them to Adult, Juvenile, Teen, Reference or other specific areas of the Library. Reviews by professionals in the field and the librarian’s expertise contribute to the placement of materials.

FRCL respects the rights of children to choose their own materials, regardless of the items assigned placement. It is the responsibility of parent to monitor the materials their children borrow or use in the library.

The library does not label, alter, or shield materials due to the nature of the content or imagery. The library does not add or remove evaluative labels from library materials, such as MPAA ratings on some motion pictures, or language ratings on some audio materials.

Collection Responsibilities

Staff responsibility for the collections rests with the Library Director, who operates within the framework of the Collection Development and Management policy. The Director delegates to staff members the authority to interpret and apply this policy in daily operation.

Staff provides continuity in the collections through an organized structure for planning, selecting, acquiring and managing library materials. All staff participates in the development of collections driven by patron needs and expectations by:

Engaging in open, continuous communication with patrons
Handling all requests equitably
Recognizing that materials of varying complexity and format are necessary to satisfy diverse needs

Intellectual Freedom

A democracy presupposes an informed citizenry, and the public library has an integral role in achieving that goal. The Library provides an environment in which individuals and their interests are brought together with the universe of ideas and information spanning the spectrum of knowledge and opinions. The American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read and Freedom to View statements are cornerstones of this policy and guide the acquisitions and management of the collection.

Collection development and management decisions are based on the merit of work as it relates to the Library’s mission and its ability to meet the needs and interests of the community. Decisions are not made on the basis of any anticipated approval or disapproval of the material. The inclusion of an item in the Library collection is in no way an endorsement of its contents. Materials are not marked or identified to show approval or disapproval of the contents.

The Library recognizes that some materials may be controversial and that any given item may offend some. Only the individual can define what materials are consistent with his/her own values. Individuals can apply those values to the use of library materials only for themselves.

Responsibility for the reading material of children rests with their parents or legal guardians. Selection shall not be inhibited solely by the possibility that books may inadvertently come into the possession of children.

The Library respects each individual parent’s right to supervise his/her children’s choice of reading materials. However, the Library does not have the right to act in loco parentis (in place of the parent). Therefore, a parent who chooses to restrict the materials his/her children select must accompany those children when they use the collection to impose those restrictions.

The Library distinguishes between materials that are controversial and those that may be illegal. The Constitutions of the United States and the State of Michigan, the laws of the United States, State of Michigan and the communities which the library serves, will also guide staff in the selection of all materials.

Reconsideration of Library Materials

Citizen Request for Reconsideration form

Patrons (“Requester”) who object to Library Materials will be sent to the Director.
The Director will discuss the Library Materials in question with the Requester, attempting to resolve the concern to both the Requester’s and Library’s satisfaction.
If the Requester wishes to carry the request further, the Director will provide the Requester with a copy of the Materials Selection Policy, including the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials (“Request for Reconsideration”).
Once a completed, signed copy of the Request for Reconsideration is received, the Library Director shall decide the Request for Reconsideration, taking into consideration the Library’s Materials Selection Policy and any other relevant information to reach a decision. The Director may consult with any other staff or consultants when making this decision.
The Library Director shall send the decision in writing to the complainant within seventy-five (75) days of the receipt of the completed Request for Reconsideration form. If the decision is that the questioned material should be removed from the collection, the Requester will be notified in writing by the Library Director and all copies of the item will be withdrawn. If the decision is that the questioned material is to be retained, the Requester will be notified in writing by the Library Director that the material will be retained.
A written appeal of the Library Director’s decision may be made by the Requester to the Chair of the Library Board within ten (10) business days after the written decision is made by the Library Director. The Library Board will review any documentation it deems necessary to decide within sixty (60) days of receipt of the appeal.
The Library Board serves as the final authority in cases involving retention or withdrawal of Library Materials.
The questioned material shall remain in the collection until a decision has been made by the Director or the Library Board to remove the material.

Adopted 02/12

Revised 04/22

Library Policies