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The Aurora Public Library’s Mission Statement and Library Roles guide the selection of materials as it does the development of services and the allocation of resources. The Mission Statement and Library Roles articulate broad principles of library programs and services.
The Materials Selection Policy has been adopted by the Library Board of Directors of the Aurora Public Library to guide librarians and to inform the public about the principles upon which selections are made.
NOTE: For simplicity, when using words such as items, materials, resources or formats, this document will refer to all types of library materials, print and non-print.
Ultimate responsibility for materials selection rests with the library director who operates within the framework of policies determined by the library board of directors. All professional and selected support staff members participate in the selection of library materials.
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.
Selectors should choose materials that will build a well-rounded collection which includes all viewpoints and opinions, and exercise impartiality in all selection activities which will meet community needs.
Criteria may include one or more of the following: literary merit; enduring value; accuracy; authoritativeness; social significance; importance of subject matter to the collection; timeliness; popular demand; cost; scarcity of material on the subject and availability elsewhere; quality and suitability of the format. Other considerations may be applicable in specific subject areas. Criteria for selection of electronic media also may include: ease of use of the product; availability of the information to multiple users; equipment needed to provide access to the information; technical support and training; availability of the physical space needed to house and store the information or equipment.
Selection of resources is done from reviews in professional and popular journals and magazines, subject bibliographies, annual lists of recommended titles, publishers’ catalogs, patron requests, and salespersons for specific materials. The standard selection tools used by the library selection staff include, but are not limited to: Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, VOYA, Kliatt, Choice, Ingram Advance, Baker & Taylor’s Forecast, Billboard, and various electronic sources.
Materials selected for the library collection are intended to meet the cultural, informational, educational and recreational needs of the residents of Aurora. The scope of the collection is intended to offer a choice of format, opinion, style and level of difficulty so that most individual library needs can be met and service given to individuals of all ages, within current budget parameters and constraints. The library encourages the use of interlibrary cooperation to better serve the needs of its clientele by expanding available resources. The emphasis is on acquiring materials of wide-ranging interest to the general public. The collection is not archival, and is reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis to meet contemporary needs.
Resources are purchased in the most appropriate format for patron use.
Books are generally purchased in hardcover editions because of their durability. However, paperback editions may be purchased, and are preferred in cases where the hardcover edition is extremely expensive and the title either would be used infrequently or is an item that would be weeded from the collection in a few years. Paperbacks are often purchased as added copies of popular titles to meet patron demand and as part of the paperback browsing collection. Library editions are purchased for heavily used titles in the Youth Services Department because of their durability. The library does not buy the textbooks used by the local high schools or community college, regarding it as the responsibility of the school library to provide copies of these course materials for their students.
New formats shall be considered for the circulation collection when, by industry report, national survey results, and evidence from local requests, a significant portion of the community population has necessary technology to make use of the format. Availability of items in the format, the cost per item, and the library’s ability to acquire and handle the items also will be factors in determining when a new format will be collected. Similar considerations will influence the decision to delete a format from the library’s collection.
Archival refers to the holding policies for part or all of the collection. At the Aurora Public Library, current usefulness is the determining factor in how long material is kept. There is no attempt to be complete in terms of historical coverage, with the possible exception of local history/genealogy. Old editions may be withdrawn when new ones are received or the contents are out of date. The amount of use that an item receives may influence retention. No extraordinary effort is made to preserve or protect the last copy of any title in the collection. Local History and Genealogy materials will be retained in the collection in the special and separate location, but even this collection may undergo periodic evaluation and reassessment.
Criteria for Book Donations:
Materials donated by the public will be used for:
The library will accept the following:
The library will NOT accept the following:
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. It is possible that not every title will be available through ILL or purchase, so all requests may not be filled.
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.
The library does not have the budgetary resources to buy multiple copies of every title it owns. For titles with multiple reserves, one book is purchased for every four patron reserves. Annual leasing agreements provide access to multiple copies of high-demand titles at a manageable cost. 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.
Materials, which are updated annually or every few years, and which are necessary to the collection are put on standing order. The majority of these materials are reference books. Other subject areas may include, but are not limited to: travel, college guides, large type, test review, resume development, series and selected annual literary anthologies.
When a title is returned damaged or in poor condition, it will be routed to the appropriate selector to check and decide whether to repair or rebind.
Criteria for not rebinding may include the following:
Books that cannot be repaired or rebound will be withdrawn and may be replaced with the same or similar item.
In order to maintain an up-to-date, useful collection, worn and obsolete materials are continually removed from the collection. Materials may be withdrawn if they are little-used or superseded by a new edition or better work on the same subject. Depth and coverage of varying degrees are desirable in various areas of the collection. The Collection Development Policy serves as a guide for deselecting, commonly know as “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 withdrawn because of loss or damage are reported to the selectors to decide whether the item should be replaced using the same criteria as for selection. Other factors selectors consider when deciding on replacements may 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 field, its listing in standard bibliographies, and its cost.
The C.R.E.W. (Continuous Review Evaluation and Weeding) method of systematic evaluating and weeding of the collection is used by 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. The collection will be reassessed for relevancy and currency on a regular basis. No materials will be held or given to individuals.
A singular obligation of the public library is to reflect within its collection differing points of view. The Aurora 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. 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 entitled, “Request for Reconsideration of Library Material.” (Click on link below.)
Upon receipt of a formal written request, a decision will be made regarding the disposition of the material. The library director will communicate the decision and the reasons for it, in writing, to the person who initiated the request for reconsideration. The director will inform the Board of Directors of the reconsideration and disposition of library materials.
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 library board of directors by making a written request to the president of the board. The library board 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 Aurora Public Library. On the basis of this determination, the board may vote to uphold or override the decision of the director.
Approved May 9, 2001 Board of Directors
Aurora Public Library Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form
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