About > About the Library > Library Policies > Collection Development Policy

Collection Development Policy

March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to: 1) serve as a guide for the selectors at the Jefferson County Public Library in the process of materials selection and deselection; and 2) inform the public of the principles upon which selections for the Library are made. The Library Bill of Rights as affirmed by the Jefferson County Public Library Board of Trustees is the basis for this policy.

 The Library provides the opportunity:

• to obtain and use information in a variety of formats;

• to pursue lifelong learning;

• to explore recreational interests; and

• to better understand personal and regional heritage

Intellectual Freedom

All Library cardholders, regardless of age, have the right to access all materials in the Library and to borrow any circulating item as governed by the Borrower Services Policy. Parents and guardians have the responsibility to monitor the use of library materials by their children.

The Collection

The Library adheres to the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights. This statement is included in the appendix to this policy and interpreted to include all library material regardless of format.

Basic Selection Criteria

These criteria are intended to serve as basic overarching guidelines for the collection and to assist the staff in making determinations regarding specific additions to the Library’s holdings. These criteria are applied to all library materials in all formats.

The criteria include, but are not limited to, the following considerations:

• Community interest and popular demand

• Accuracy and authenticity of information and authority of the author

• Literary merit as noted by favorable reviews from trade and professional publications

• Format, durability, and cost

• Need for variety and balance of viewpoints and subjects within the collection

Suggestions and Recommendations

Selection suggestions from Jefferson County Library patrons are encouraged and will be given due consideration in accordance with other selection criteria. Request forms are available on the Library’s website and will be given to the appropriate staff.

Local Authors and Self-Published Titles

The Library welcomes current residents of Jefferson County to donate a copy of their new work to add to our Local Author Shelf at the Madison Library. Please fill out the Local Author Shelf form located on the Library’s website and in the Appendix. Materials by local authors and self-published titles will be evaluated using the same criteria as the rest of the collection.

Maintaining the Collection

Retention is based on community interest as expressed by continuing circulation along with the accuracy and authority of the content. Patron demand also impacts the potential replacement of material.

Weeding is a continuous process essential to making room for newer titles, removing outdated materials, and withdrawing materials in poor condition. All areas of the collection, including gifts and memorials, will be weeded in accordance with the procedure outlined in this policy.

Request for Reconsideration of Material

Any Jefferson County Library patron may question the desirability of any item in the collection. The Request for Reconsideration form for patron comment on library material is available at the patron services desks, on the Library’s website, and in the Appendix. The form is to be completed and referred to the Library Director who will respond within ten (10) business days. If an agreeable resolution is not reached, the request will be presented to the Library Board of Trustees at the next scheduled board meeting. The board will render a decision by the following board meeting.

Donated Materials

Donations of materials are accepted by the Library and are considered for inclusion in the collection in the same manner as materials that are purchased. Donations and gifts of materials are accepted by the Library with the explicit understanding that they may or may not be added to the collection. Gifts not selected for the collection are given to the Friends of the Library or other nonprofit organizations as well as recycling.

Responsibility

The Jefferson County Public Library Board of Trustees delegates to the Library Director and assigned staff the responsibility for selection and management of all print, non-print, and electronic material within the framework of this policy.

Appendix

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the Library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.

Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.