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MATERIALS
SELECTION POLICY
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Objectives:
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The Langley Public Library places major emphasis on
information, recreational and education functions. It recognizes the importance of basic materials of permanent
value and timely materials on current issues.
Materials will be purchased in the format that best suits patron
needs.
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Guidelines:
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The Trustees of the Langley Public Library support
the Library Bill of Rights promulgated by the American Library
Association, and it serves as the basis for this policy and other
lending polices of the library. Choice
of materials will result from a variety of professional activities on
the part of the Library Director. Review
of new books from both professional journal and popular reviewing media
form an important tool in the selection process.
Recommendations from the staff and the public are also welcome
and evaluated within the framework of the acquisition process.
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Responsibility: |
| The Library Director has the final responsibility for
the selection of all materials to be incorporated into the library's
collection, regardless of the mode of acquisition. It is the Director's responsibility to provide materials that
are of both current interest and permanent value, that are up-to-date,
that are responsive to the interest and needs of every segment of the
community and that do not discriminate against any political, religious,
economic, or social view or group through deliberate exclusion of their
views. The Director shall try to provide for a diversity of
materials without exercising either direct of implied censorship.
The Director shall be responsible for expending available funds
in an equitable manner so that all divisions of the collection receive a
just proportion of said funds. |
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Selection
Criteria:
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General: |
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All acquisitions, whether purchased or donated, are
considered in terms of the standards listed below. However, an item need not meet all of the criteria in order
to be acceptable. Materials
are evaluated on the significance of the entire work rather than
individual parts. When
judging the quality of materials several standards and combinations of
standards may be used. The
following principals will guide selection:
·
Contemporary
significance or permanent value
·
Community
interest
·
Accuracy
of content
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Reputation
and /or authority of the author, editor or illustrator
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Literary
merit
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Relation
to existing collection and to other material on the subject
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Price,
availability, and demand
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Format
and ease of use
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Scarcity
of information in the subject area
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Availability
of material in other area libraries
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Attention
of critics, reviewers, media and public
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| B. Material
Specific: |
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Children's
material are to be selected based upon their literary and artistic
merit, contribution to the balance of the total collection, and the
suitability of their content and vocabulary to the age of the reader.
Materials will be sought which present an accurate, fair, and
wholesome picture of the subject. Textbooks are purchased only when information is not
available in any other form. The
goal of the public library is to supplement textbooks by ordering
material which will help broaden interest stemming from the use of the
textbook rather than the textbook itself.
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Periodicals
are purchased to supplement the book collection, provide recreational
and professional reading, and/ or provide material not yet available in
book form. Selection of
periodicals will be based upon their consideration as authoritative,
objective, of local interest and demand, and indexed in standard
periodical indexes.
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Gifts
of books and other items will be accepted on the condition that the
Director has the authority to make whatever disposition he or she deems
advisable. Gifts will be
judged upon the same basis as purchased materials.
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Collection
Maintenance: |
| To maintain the effectiveness of the library's total
collection, the library will attempt to systematically remove materials
no longer useful. The
library does not automatically replace all materials withdrawn because
of loss, damage or wear. Need
for replacement is weighed with regard to several factors: number of
duplicate copies, existence of adequate coverage of a field, similar
material in the collection, later or more authoritative materials as
well as current demand for the particular subject or title. |
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Reconsideration: |
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Patrons requesting that material in the collection be
reconsidered may complete a "Material Selection Inquiry."
The inquiry will be placed on the agenda of the next regular
meeting of the Langley Public Library Board of Trustees.
Their decision will be based upon this selection policy after due
consideration of the report of the Library Director and the patron's
inquiry.
The library recognizes that some materials may be
controversial and that any given item may offend some patron.
Selection or retention of material will not be made on the basis
of anticipated approval or disapproval of their contents, and no library
material will be sequestered, except to protect it from theft.
Responsibility for the reading of children rests with their
parents or legal guardians.
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