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Collection Development |
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Collection Development |
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Purposes and Goals The overall purpose of the Library is to serve all of the citizens of the City by offering the services, resources, and facilities to fulfill their informational, educational, and recreational needs and interests. The term "citizens" encompasses individuals and groups of every age, educational level, philosophy, occupation, economic level, ethnic origin, and human condition. |
The Library shall strive toward the following goals:
To assemble, preserve, and administer books and related educational, informative, and recreational material, within the framework of its budget, in order to promote an enlightened citizenship and enrich personal lives. To serve the community as a center of reliable information. To accumulate the best in literature, fiction, thought, and children's books for the best use and benefit of the public. To initiate activities that will encourage the most effective use of those selected materials. To cooperate with education, civic, and cultural groups and organizations whose aims are compatible with those of the library. To provide opportunity and encouragement for children, young people, men and women to educate themselves continuously. To facilitate universal, lifelong education for the reader.
The Library subscribes to the principles of the American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights", the "Freedom to Read" statement, "Statement on Labeling", and "Free Access to Libraries for Minors". The Library recognizes that many materials are controversial and that any given item may offend some patrons. Responsibility for what children read rests with their parents and legal guardians. Selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that some items may, inadvertently, come into the possession of children. Selections will be made on the merits of the work in relation to the building of the collection and the interest of the community. |
Certain items are not deemed suitable for collection. These include:
Collector's Items: The Library does not have the resources or staff necessary for this kind of collection. Textbooks: The Library will not attempt to furnish materials or textbooks needed for formal courses of study offered by elementary and secondary schools, or by institutions of higher learning. Titles on the high school reading lists may be available but not in classroom quantities. Donated textbooks may be added to the collection, depending on their condition, accuracy, datedness, and value to the collection.
Use of Selection Aids Ideally, a Librarian with trained judgment, knowledge of the Library's present resources, and acquaintance with the requirement of local readers should read every book added to the Library before purchase. Where circumstances make such reading impossible or unnecessary, the staff makes skilled use of selection aids, such as basic, general lists, special bibliographies for reference books and particular subject materials, and book reviewing journals. While book reviews are a major source of information about new books, they are not followed blindly. No one publication is relied upon exclusively; the critical opinions of reviewers are checked against each other where feasible. |
The professional librarian will use the following aids in the selection of
materials:
Public Library Catalog and other Wilson Catalogs Booklist Publisher's Weekly Library Journal
Works of imagination should possess qualities
of:
Representation of important movements, genre, trends of national culture Vitality and originality Artistic integrity Effective characterization Authenticity of historical or social setting Sustained interest
Specifically, materials considered for inclusion in the Library's collection must meet one or more of the following standards: |
Importance of subject matter to the collection Serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value Permanence Timely value Purpose or intent of the material Accuracy of content Historical value Readability Scarcity of material on the subject Reputation and significance of author, illustrator, editor, artist, performer, etc. Popularity Local interest Reputation and professional standing of publisher Price Format Availability of material
In addition to the above standards, periodicals will be evaluated according to the following criteria: |
Indexed in Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature Frequency of use Interest, as indicated by patron request New title on subjects of current interest Indexed in other Wilson indexes
Video Cassette Collection
The Library's collection will emphasize how-to, instructional, educational, documentary, children's and travel themes. Some entertainment films are included. Criteria for selection include: |
General audience appeal Availability Price Usability Lasting appeal Quality of content Limited duplication of subject matter within our collection Content: Theme, quality of color, sound and script, quality of print Either color or black/white will be acceptable
*The presence of materials in the library must not be construed as a personal endorsement of their contents by any member of the staff, the Library Board, or the City Council. The Library has a responsibility to collect materials expressing a variety of views and opinions, may of which the persons responsible for maintaining the library may find personally unacceptable. |
This Materials Selection Policy shall serve the following purposes:
To further the stated goals, objectives and functions of the Library To guide librarians in the selection of materials To inform the public about selection principles
The policy will be reviewed by the library staff annually to insure that it remains current and useful. |
Member of Baldwin County Library Cooperative
Email:
Thomas B. Norton Public Library
Last Modified 14 April 2005
Library Webmaster L. Moody
