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Collection Development and Materials Selection Policy
Copyright Statement
The Selection Process
 Ultimate responsibility for materials selection rests with the Library Director who operates within the framework of policies determined by the Board of Trustees. The Library Director delegates to the Head of Public Services/Assistant to the Director, who is responsible for collection development, the responsibility to work with the various sections within the Library to accomplish mutual goals and responsibilities regarding the acquisition, cataloging, and processing of materials, and to promote consistency in the selection and maintenance of the materials collection. All professional staff members may participate in the selection of library materials. The authority and responsibilities of the Head of Public Services/Assistant to the Director consists of the following:
Selection is a discerning and interpretive process, involving a general knowledge of the subject and its important literature, a familiarity with the materials in the collection, an awareness of the bibliographies of the subject, and a recognition of the needs of the community. Criteria |
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Gifts to the collection can be in the form of money or actual materials. Gift plates and letters of acknowledgement are appropriate stipulations by a donor, but other requirements should be evaluated carefully before the gift is accepted. All gifts become part of the general collection and should not require special circulation procedures. Local art guilds and associations occasionally make donations of original art work to the Library. These framed art works may be added to the collection for circulation to interested patrons. Gifts of books and other library materials are gratefully accepted by the Library with the understanding that they will be considered for addition to the collection in accordance with the Materials Selection Policy. The Library reserves the right to sell or otherwise dispose of gift materials not added to the collection. When a patron offers to give books, magazines, or audiovisual materials to the Library, the following guidelines apply. If there is a question about these guidelines or a special situation, the patron should be referred to the librarian in charge of donated materials or to the Head of Public Services. The Library will accept hardcover and/or paperback books and audiovisual materials if they are in good condition. National Geographics will be accepted as needed, but, in general, the patron should be encouraged to donate such items to schools, etc. Local history materials from the Chicago and Morton Grove areas are welcome, as are foreign language materials. Many donations consist of boxes or bags of materials, which are accepted for the sake of public relations. These gifts are inspected by staff or volunteers for odor, water damage, wear, and age. Appropriate material may be added to the collection, put in the book sale or, if not in acceptable condition, discarded. The donor will receive a written acknowledgement of the gift if the materials are added to the collection. If the patrons wishes to receive such an acknowledgement, he/she should leave name and address and number of books donated. Library staff will not appraise the books or indicate a value in the acknowledgment letter.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is not a substitute for collection development, but is meant to expand the range of materials available to library users without needlessly duplicating the resources of other libraries. The ILL process interacts with the collection development process in two ways:
All ILL requests for recent material are considered for purchase. In addition, all titles that have been requested through ILL at least three times in a year are given high selection priority. Extra consideration is given to requests for titles published within the last six months, because it is unlikely that these will be available from other libraries. Titles that have been requested by patrons and considered for purchase, but which do not fit the scope of the collection, are too old, out-of-date, or out-of-print, are sent back to the patron with a recommendation to try ILL. ILL may not be used for any title that is on order or owned by the Library unless the copy is determined to be missing.
While the Library does not have the budgetary resources to buy multiple copies of every title it owns, it does buy multiple copies of titles that have high patron demand. Titles with reserves or titles with broad popular appeal are generally ordered in duplicate. For titles with many reserves, one book is purchased for every three patron reserves. In subject areas such as resumes and travel books where patron demand is extremely high, the Library prefers to buy one copy of several different titles instead of buying numerous copies of one title. More variety and depth in the collection can be achieved through this approach.
Titles on standing order have two characteristics in common: they are seldom reviewed in the professional reviewing journals, and/or they are important enough to the collection that receiving them automatically without evaluating individual volumes is better than missing them. The majority of these are reference materials, but travel books, college guides, test review books, and other annual series are also put on continuation for the circulating collection. Many standing order and subscription titles are placed direct with the publisher/vendor, but the majority of Library continuation titles are placed with Baker and Taylor. Large print format titles are on standing order with Gale or other publishers to insure ready availability of new titles. The standing order and automatic continuation titles are re-evaluated annually by the Reference Coordinator and the Head of Public Services; titles may be cancelled, new titles added, or the number of copies adjusted to accommodate patron interest and demand.
When a book is returned damaged or in poor condition, circulation staff will send it to Technical Services where it will be put on the "Repair" shelves. The Head of Public Services will review the titles needing repair/rebinding regularly and decide which books should be repaired, rebound, replaced, or withdrawn from the collection. Care should be exercised and very selective decisions made in sending books to the bindery. In many cases, it is more cost efficient to buy a replacement or to buy a newer title. This also helps keep the collection looking new. Re-binding should be reserved for titles which cannot be replaced or would be too costly to replace. In judging which books should be sent to the bindery, the following guidelines are followed:
In order to maintain an up-to-date, useful collection, worn and obsolete materials are continuously weeded. Materials may also be withdrawn if they are little used or superseded by a new edition or better work on the same subject. Depth and breadth of varying degrees are desirable in various areas of the collection. The Collection Development Policy serves as a guide for weeding and maintaining the collection as well as for the selection of materials. Titles are withdrawn from the Library's collection through systematic weeding by selectors or because of loss or physical damage. Materials which are withdrawn because of loss or damage are reported to the Head of Public Services who decides whether the item should be replaced using the same criteria as for selection. Other factors applicable when deciding on replacements include the number of copies of a title the Library owns, the availability of newer materials on the subject, the importance of the work in its subject area, its listing in standard bibliographies, and its cost. Audiovisual materials which are withdrawn will be replaced in most cases with new, popular titles, as these collections are designed to meet current interest. Systematic evaluation and weeding of the collection is required of every selector in order to keep the collection responsive to patrons' needs, to insure its vitality and usefulness to the community, and to make room for newer materials. For this reason, subject areas should be reassessed for relevancy and currency every two years, at a minimum, although certain areas may require more frequent review. Weeding identifies damaged items, ephemeral materials which are no longer used, out-of-date materials, extra copies which are not being used, and materials which are inappropriate for the collection. Weeding also helps a selector evaluate the collection by identifying areas or titles where additional materials are needed; older editions which need to be updated; and subjects, titles, or authors that are no longer of interest to the community. Titles can be checked against standard bibliographies in the subject to see if the items have historical or literary value. Holdings which are readily accessible in other libraries may also be considered when making weeding decisions. Withdrawn materials which are in good condition will be put in the book sale. Materials withdrawn from the Reference collection which retain informational value may be transferred to the circulating collection or offered to other libraries on the NSLS Blue Sheets.
Reconsideration of Library Materials A singular obligation of the public library is to reflect within its collection differing points of view on controversial or debatable subjects. The Morton Grove Public Library does not promulgate particular beliefs or views, nor does the selection of an item express or imply an endorsement of the author's viewpoint. Library materials will not be marked or identified to show approval or disapproval of the contents, nor will items be sequestered, except for the purpose of protecting them from damage or theft. Comments from members of the community about the collection or individual items in the collection frequently provide librarians with useful information about interests or needs that may not be adequately met by the collection. The Library welcomes expression of opinion by patrons, but will be governed by this Materials Selection Policy in making additions to or deleting items from the collection. Patrons who request the reconsideration of library materials will be asked to put their request in writing by completing and signing the form (below) entitled "Request for Reconsideration of Library Material." Upon receipt of a formal, written request, the Director will appoint an ad hoc committee from the professional staff including, but not limited to, the selector for the subject area of the item in question and the appropriate Department Head. The committee will make a written recommendation to the Director who will then make a decision regarding the disposition of the material. The director will communicate this decision, and the reasons for it, in writing, to the person who initiated the request for reconsideration at the earliest possible date. The Director will inform the Board of Trustees of all requests for reconsideration of library materials and their disposition. In the event that the person who initiated the request is not satisfied with the decision of the Director, he/she may appeal for a hearing before the Board of Trustees by making a written request to the President of the Board. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to limit the length of presentation and number of speakers at the hearing. The Board will determine whether the request for reconsideration has been handled in accordance with stated policies and procedures of the Morton Grove Public Library. On the basis of this determination, the Board may vote to uphold or override the decision of the Director. Approved June 11, 1992, by the Morton Grove Public Library Board of Trustees
Morton Grove Public Library Title: _________________________________________________________________ Author: ____________________________ Publisher: ________________________ This is a: ____book ___magazine ___recording ___video ___other: ___________ Request initiated by (your name): __________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________ City: ______________________________ State: ________ Zip: ____________ Phone: ____________________________
Do you represent: 1. To what in the work do you object (please be specific; cite page numbers):
2. Did you read/view/listen to the entire work? ____yes ____no
3. What do you feel might be the result of reading/viewing/listening to this work?
4. For what age group would you recommend this work? _____________________________
5. What do you believe is the theme of this work?
6. Are you aware of judgements of this work by literary critics? ____________________
7. What would you like the Library to do about this work?
8. In its place, what work would you recommend that would convey as valuable a picture and perspective of the subject treated?
Signature _________________________________ Date __________________ Approved June 11, 1992 by the Morton Grove Public Library Board of Trustees.
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