Qualified Library material selection staff (selectors) operate within this framework of policies, using professional standards, judgment, and resources to develop the Library collection by selecting and discarding items.
The Bloomington Public Library Board of Trustees endorses and accepts as part of the Collection Development Policy the following documents:
- Library Bill of Rights
- Access for Children and Young Adults to Nonprint Materials
- Access to Digital Information, Services and Networks
- Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Gender or Sexual Orientation
- Challenged Materials
- Diversity in Collection Development
- Evaluating Library Collections
- Expurgation of Library Materials
- Free Access to Libraries for Minors
- Restricted Access to Library Materials
- Labeling and Rating System
- Universal Right to Free Expression
- Freedom to Read
- Freedom to View
These documents are available on the American Library Association website, www.ALA.org.
Selection
The Library offers a collection of library materials and information resources that support its mission and values.
Reasonable efforts will be made to build balanced collections without favor given to particular causes or viewpoints.
Selections will not be made on the basis of any anticipated approval or disapproval, but on the merits of the material in relation to the building of the Library’s collections and in support of its stated mission and vision. Selection criteria and purchasing levels vary by area, but in general all materials, including gifts, are selected based on the following guidelines:
- Individual merit of each item
- Existing library holdings
- Diversity of viewpoint
- Suitability to the community
- Intended Audience
- Budget
- Popular appeal and patron demand
- Critics’ and staff reviews
- Timeliness of the material
- Availability and suitability of format
The Library does not collect textbooks or academic, technical, or self-published materials not professionally reviewed, unless they are considered generally useful.
Materials are evaluated as complete works and not on the basis of a particular passage or passages. A work will not be excluded from the library’s collection solely because it represents a particular aspect of life, because of frankness of expression, or because it is controversial. In fact, individual items, which in and of themselves may be controversial or offensive to some patrons or staff, may be selected if their inclusion will contribute to the range of viewpoints in the collection as a whole and if they meet one or more of the criteria listed.
Purchase suggestions from patrons are welcome and are given serious consideration. A library cannot provide all materials that are requested. Therefore, interlibrary loan is used, when possible, to obtain from other libraries those materials that are beyond the scope of this library’s collection.
It is possible that as technology and formats change, entire collections may be added or eliminated.
Maintenance
As materials are regularly added to the collection, ongoing maintenance is necessary to ensure the collections are maintained in good condition, with relevant and up-to-date information that continues to meet selection criteria. The Library cannot, because of space limits, become a library of historical record except in the area of local history. To ensure a vital collection of continued value to the community, materials which have outlived their usefulness are withdrawn from the collection.
Materials which have been withdrawn and are in good condition may be sold by the Library or offered to other libraries and/or not-for-profit organizations. No items can be held for or given to individuals for personal use.
Access
The Board of Trustees believes reading, listening, and viewing choices are individual, private matters. People are free to select or reject materials for themselves and their own minor children but are not to infringe upon the freedom of others to read or inquire.
The Library does not stand in place of the parent (in loco parentis). Parents and guardians have the responsibility to guide and direct the reading, listening, and viewing choices of their own minor children and teens.
Library material will not be marked or identified to show approval or disapproval of the contents, nor will they be sequestered.
Reconsideration
The Library recognizes the right of Bloomington and Golden Prairie residents to question materials in the collection. Such questions may be stated in writing on the Request for Materials Reconsideration form. (See Appendix A, at the end of this document.) The Library will give serious consideration to each opinion expressed.
Upon receipt of a Request for Materials Reconsideration form (see appendix), the Library Director will appoint a committee to review the material and reply to the resident in writing as soon as is practical. No material is automatically removed from the collections because of an objection to it and will remain available to patrons until a decision is made.
Patrons who do not accept the Library Director's decision may appeal to the Board of Trustees.
Appendix A - Request For Reconsideration of Library Material Form
Author/Performer of Material: ____________________________________________________________
Material Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Publisher/Distributor of Material: _________________________________________________________
Library Call Number: ______________ Date of Material: _______________
Your Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________________________
Telephone:_________________________
Are you a Bloomington Public Library cardholder? Circle one: YES NO
Request Represents:
_____ Individual
_____ Organization; list name: ____________________________________________________________
_____ Other; list name __________________________________________________________________
Have you read or viewed the entire work? Circle one: YES NO
If your answer is NO, what parts have you read or viewed?
To what in the material do you object? Please be specific; cite pages or sections.
What good or valuable features do you find in the material? What do you believe is the theme of this work?
What do you feel might be the result of reading or viewing this material?
Have you read any reviews of this material? Circle one: YES NO
If your answer is YES, please specify:
What would you like the library to do about this material?
Can you recommend other material that would convey as valuable a picture and/or perspective of the subject treated? Circle one: YES NO
If YES, please specify:
Date: __________________ Signature: _____________________________________________________