U-5 Materials Selection

HELEN PLUM LIBRARY

U-5 Materials Selection

Approved by the Library Board of Trustees January 16, 2024.

The Materials Selection Policy will be reviewed every two years per Illinois law.

Purpose of the collection

The collection serves the community and aligns with the vision and mission of the Library as approved by the Library Board of Trustees.

Responsibility for collection management

The Executive Director is responsible to the Board of Trustees for the selection of materials and development of the collection. Librarians with an ALA-accredited master's degree in library science or staff under their supervision are responsible for collection management, including decisions about selections, gifts, and weeding. No employee may be disciplined or dismissed for the selection of Library materials when the selection is made in accordance with written policy and related departmental collection management plan.

A collection management plan including information about material selection and weeding, shall be in place for each area of the collection.

Parameters of the collection

The Library's collection reflects the community’s diverse needs and interests. If the Library is to fulfill its obligation of being a public library, then, to the extent authoritative materials are available, it must have in its collection diverse materials on all subjects by authors of varied perspectives. Selected materials may be regarded by some as unpleasant, offensive, or in opposition to personal political or religious beliefs.

Criteria for selection, replacement, and withdrawal

The Board of Trustees instructs the Executive Director and staff to use their professional judgment in making selections, replacements, and withdrawals.

The selection of Library materials is a two-way process with the users of the Library indicating their interests and needs, and the librarians executing their professional judgment in anticipating and responding to demands to select the best materials. Material selection is further influenced by patron requests for specific items, existing holdings in the collection area, reviews in professionally recognized journals, format, price, literary merit, authenticity of materials, and honesty of presentation. Recommended lists of best books or media will be used. In limited cases, availability of the same or similar materials at other libraries may affect selection.

The Library keeps the collection vital and useful by retaining or replacing essential materials, and by removing, on a systematic and continuous basis, those works that are worn, outdated, of little historical significance, or no longer in demand. Materials which are removed from the Library collection may or may not be made available for public purchase at book sales.

Gifts  

The Library may accept gifts of new materials that would normally be added to its collection through purchase. Any gifts accepted will be treated like any other item in the collection; all materials are subject to the same criteria for selection, replacement, and withdrawal.

Collectibles, historical objects, valuable papers, and museum objects are not accepted as gifts, except with the Executive Director's permission. The Library will not accept collections that are to be kept together as a separate entity or with restrictions as to use, permanence, or location. No staff member will assign a monetary value to any gift.

Cash gifts as tributes or for other purposes are accepted for the purchase of Library materials. Staff will select items based on Library need.

Access

The Library supports the intellectual freedom of all patrons. The Library does not limit access to materials. Materials are not sequestered because of subject matter. While all materials are available to all patrons, some items, which are likely to be subject to theft or damage, are kept at the Information Desk and are available to anyone at checkout.

The Library places the responsibility with the parent or guardian for the use of Library materials for or by their children.

Reconsideration of materials in the collection

Requests for reconsideration may be made only by Helen Plum Library cardholders or Helen Plum Library District residents. Patrons may request that the placement, retention, or inclusion of materials in the collection be reconsidered. When a patron fills out a written “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials”, those materials will be reviewed by the selector or other staff competent to evaluate them based on the criteria noted in this policy and in departmental collection management plans.

The Library abides by the Illinois Library System Act, including section 75 ILCS 10/8.7. Library materials will not be removed or restricted because of partisan or personal disapproval. Materials are judged as a whole; isolated passages in themselves are not used as criteria. The Executive Director will review any decisions upon written request. Patrons unwilling to accept the Executive Director's decision may appeal the matter to the Board of Trustees. The decision of the Board is final.

Intellectual Freedom

The Board of Trustees of the Helen M. Plum Memorial Public Library District protects the intellectual freedom of the Library patrons, and will prevent censorship of Library materials, ensuring materials are not withdrawn from the Library collection merely because individuals or groups object to the material. The Board adopts the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement.