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Category: Operational
Approved: August 30, 1989
Revised: September 27, 1995; May 28, 1997; January 31, 2001
Introduction
The Collection Development Policy states the principles upon which Rocky River Public Library’s collection is developed and maintained. It guides the staff in most effectively using the library’s financial resources to fulfill present and anticipated needs of the community.
Purpose of the Collection
The collection exists to serve the informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs of the community.
Collection Defined
The collection encompasses print, audiovisual materials, software, electronic resources, and Internet access.
The collection evolves as the needs and interests of the community it serves change, as informational trends develop, and as improved technology provides additional or alternate resources.
The library recognizes that each individual has informational, educational, and recreational needs and interests important to him or her. The library also recognizes that it has limited financial resources and a responsibility to use its public funds to serve the entire community. Consequently, the library’s collection reflects the collective needs of the community as opposed to any one individual’s needs. The library uses other available avenues—interlibrary loan, appropriate referral or redirection—to serve the individual whose needs are either outside the scope of the library’s collection or the collective needs of the community.
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Level of Collection Development
Due to budget and size, Rocky River Public Library collects in subject areas at the minimal or basic level as defined by the American Library Association’s collecting level definitions. Collecting at the minimal level means few selections are made beyond very basic works. The basic level is a highly selective collection that serves to introduce and define the subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere.
Research materials and resources, whether for self-directed learning, informational purposes or educational purposes, are collected for preschool through community college levels.
Recreational material is collected for life-long enjoyment.
The library does not purchase, provide access to, or accept as donations, specialized, scholarly, or highly technical materials used for graduate or postgraduate study or limited research needs.
The library acquires standard textbooks used in local schools and community colleges only if such textbooks are useful to the general public rather than merely meeting the demands of class assignments. An exception is a reference collection of Rocky River public school textbooks.
Works of established Rocky River authors, printers, or publishers are collected, whenever economically feasible.
The library collects at a comprehensive level works dealing with the history of Rocky River.
Rocky River Public Library recognizes the variety and wealth of resources of the many libraries within its proximity and wants to avoid unnecessary and costly duplication of physical library items easily obtainable by its customers within the geographical area. However, if a customer in the library’s primary service area requests an item within the scope of the library’s collection, every attempt will be made to purchase or provide access to that item.
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Selection of Resources
The selection of resources is the responsibility of the Director who delegates that authority and responsibility to qualified staff. The selectors perform within a framework of procedures established by the Director and the Collection Development Policy. Selection of library resources is based, whenever possible, on professional reviews or authority and perceived or known community demand. In absence of a professional review or an authoritative source, selectors use professional judgment to assess a work’s significance, to fill a gap in the collection, or to complement existing resources within the collection.
Criteria
Whatever the format and for whatever age the material is intended, the principles upon which library material is evaluated include the following criteria:
- Resources are selected to fill the needs of both actual and potential users, within the constraints of space, availability of funds, and perceived needs of the primary service area of the library.
- Each resource is evaluated according to its value to the level of the collection and the audience for whom it is intended.
- Each resource is evaluated according to objective, professional standards for its type and format. These standards could include any of these criteria: accuracy, scope, timeliness, readability or technical quality, social significance or relevancy, literary value, authority of the author or source, relationship to other materials or resources in its field or format, comprehensiveness, clarity and effectiveness of its presentation, accessibility, usability of arrangement, appropriateness of format.
A resource that does not meet the objective standards for its type may still be selected if it represents a point of view not otherwise represented or if community demand justifies purchase or access.
Resources of current interest, which may be of temporary value, are selected if timeliness gives them relevance.
- A resource is evaluated as a whole, not on the basis of a particular section or sections.
- Resources representing different viewpoints on controversial issues will be acquired or made available, including those that may have unpopular or unorthodox positions. The library recognizes the importance of having a variety of viewpoints available, realizing that a resource, which might offend one person, may be considered meaningful by another.
- A work that is blatantly commercial or inflammatory in presentation is avoided.
- A resource will not be selected, or excluded from selection, solely for the reasons of the race, color, religion, gender, sexual preference, national origin, disability, age, ancestry or other characteristics of the author or the source.
- A resource will not be excluded from selection solely because of its frankness of expression, unorthodox language, nontraditional theme, or unusual presentation.
- The availability and accessibility of a resource in the immediate service area of the library does affect the selection process. If an item with limited demand is requested, every effort is made to interlibrary loan the item.
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Format
When the same item is available in several formats, selection is based on the formats most suitable for the subject, ease of use, availability, and cost.
Informational materials in nonprint form are acquired to replace or supplement print materials that are fragile, would easily deteriorate, are cost-prohibitive in print form, or would consume a large amount of space. Usage, suitability of format, availability at geographically close locations, and accessibility of the material are criteria used in acquiring informational nonprint forms.
Internet sites, provided as links on the library’s home page, are selected to enrich, broaden, and complement the library’s other resources. In selecting resources on the Internet, the library provides links to subject-based areas to meet the informational, recreational, and educational needs and interests of children and adults. Relevancy and validity of the information, access, design, and currency are deciding factors in the selection of an Internet site.
When available and appropriate, a format that better serves the visually handicapped or hearing-impaired is considered.
Duplication
Depending on budget and space, the library purchases or leases multiple copies of items in heavy demand.
The library does not necessarily attempt to duplicate titles or items in sufficient quantity to meet the reading lists of local institutions, schools and colleges, or reading groups.
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Customer Suggestion
Rocky River Public Library welcomes suggestions for purchase of library materials or inclusion of online or Internet sites. Decision for purchase or inclusion is made by the selector according to the Collection Development Policy.
Donations
Gift material, including every gift subscription, is accepted with the understanding that any gift item is evaluated according to the Collection Development Policy. The cost of processing, availability of space, suitability of format, and physical condition of the item are factors in the selection process. The library accepts gift materials only with the understanding that they are used or disposed of as the library determines appropriate.
No gift item can be accepted with restrictive conditions unless the Director specifically approves the conditions. An exception is a subject request for a memorial gift. In this case, the selector purchases a memorial item in a requested subject area according to the Collection Development Policy. If a donor requests a specific title or item as a memorial gift, it can only be accepted if the item would be purchased as part of the regular selection process.
The library does not provide evaluations of gifts for tax or estate purposes.
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Withdrawal of Resources
Selectors for the following reasons regularly withdraw resources from the collection:
- The resource is no longer accurate, current, useful, or timely, or in the case of an Internet resource, no longer exists.
- The item is physically worn or damaged beyond reasonable repair or cannot be rebound properly.
- The item can be replaced at a lower cost than repair or rebinding.
- The resource is no longer being used frequently enough.
Withdrawn items may be sold by the Women’s Committee of Rocky River Public Library to enhance services of the library or donated to nonprofit or governmental agencies. Withdrawn items are destroyed if worn, defaced, or of minimal informational, recreational, or educational value.
Freedom of Information
Rocky River Public Library is a community resource promoting the freedom of information to all. It affirms the Library Bill of Rights as adopted by the American Library Association (Appendix A). The library provides free access to resources which assure a variety of points of view, which are often differing. It provides resources for research in the library building, provides access to worldwide databases through the Internet, and furnishes library materials for loan.
Responsibility for the use of the library’s resources by a minor remains with the minor’s parent or guardian.
Reconsideration of Resources
Procedures are available for reconsideration of resources. Please contact the library for more information.
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APPENDIX A
LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS
APPENDIX B
FREEDOM TO VIEW
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