Collection Development Policy
Silver Falls Library strives to be relevant, accessible, and useful to the community. It is an environment where people come together for information, lifelong learning, enjoyment, and connection. The library provides taxpayer supported and convenient access to informational, cultural, educational, and recreational materials that appeal to the District’s diverse population.
The library aims to provide equitable service to all who use it. To achieve this goal, library collections must remain current and responsive to the public’s needs and easily accessible through current, appropriate, and cost-effective technologies.
Intellectual Freedom
The right to access materials of varying viewpoints is an important part of the intellectual freedom basic to democracy. The principles of intellectual freedom are guaranteed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I of the Oregon Constitution. In keeping with those principles, the library favors no viewpoint and endorses the following American Library Association statements:
Except where noted elsewhere in this policy, all materials will be freely and easily accessible to the public. Youth are not limited to using materials in the children’s or young adult areas. Responsibility for a minor’s access to the collection rests solely with their parent or guardian. The library will not limit access to materials based on content or authorship, and selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that youth may use such items.
Authority
The responsibility for the library collection lies with the Library Director, who may designate other staff to participate in selection tasks. The Library Board, with input from the Director, shall determine the broad policies for collection development set forth in this document. Collection development procedures and annual goals are implemented by library staff under the Director’s supervision.
Principles
The library will provide patrons with a variety of educational, recreational, and cultural materials. These resources will be provided in current, convenient, and cost-effective formats. Types of materials may include books, audio, video, magazines, newspapers, digital resources, or other formats deemed of interest to the District’s patrons. The library’s collection will include material on many subjects, incorporate various viewpoints, and offer a wide selection of genres, themes, and items of special interest to the community. Emphasis will be placed on obtaining current, popular materials, stimulating children’s interest in reading, maintaining a core collection of classic works, serving the informational needs of Silver Falls, and preserving local history. The library will strive to meet or exceed the “Enhanced” designation for collection development as set forth in the Standards for Oregon Public Libraries, published by the Oregon Library Association.
Silver Falls Library does not endorse particular views, nor does the selection of an item imply endorsement of its content. Each type of material will be considered by its own merit and as a whole, not by selected portions. To encourage diversity, items with minority viewpoints and perspectives will be included. Materials will not be excluded because of any views or characteristics of the creator(s). Staff who select for the collection assess items based on the selection criteria delineated below, regardless of personal taste. These standards apply equally to purchased and donated materials.
Selection Criteria and Protocols
Collection materials are selected by trained staff members (selectors). Selectors may consult a variety of resources including but not limited to professional and amateur publications, websites, blogs, reviews, bestseller lists, current media, and local sources.
Items will be selected considering the following criteria.
To preserve the area’s unique history and meet the needs of local researchers, the library collects materials pertaining to the local area. These items may be kept in protected areas or be restricted to use only in the library. Copies may also be available for checkout.
Items in this collection may include the following:
Gifts
The library gratefully accepts gifts for the collection. Donated items are reviewed using the criteria laid out in this policy, the same as for purchased materials. Gifts that are not selected for the collection may be used for other library services or given to the Friends of the Silver Falls Library to sell, rehome, or otherwise dispense. Proceeds from the Friends’ sales are used to benefit the library. Gifts will not be returned to the donor. Donations may be tax-deductible, and the library will issue a receipt upon request but will not appraise gifts. Acknowledgement of donated items for memorial purposes is also available by request.
Removal, Replacement, and Maintenance
In order to keep the collection vital and useful and to use space efficiently, the library will regularly remove items from the collection that are worn, outdated, of little historical significance, or no longer in demand. All collections are reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis to meet contemporary and future community needs. Library staff use professional judgment and expertise to decide which materials to retain, replace, repair, or remove.
Withdrawn items in reasonable condition will be used for other library services or given to the Friends of the Silver Falls Library for use in their nonprofit fundraising endeavors.
Request for Reconsideration of Library Material
The District welcomes patrons to express opinions concerning materials selected or not selected for the collection. If a patron wants to formally question the content or placement of an item, they should be directed first to the Library Director or her designee.
Patrons who wish to have library materials removed or reclassified must complete and submit the Statement of Concern form. Materials subject to reconsideration will remain available during the review process. The request will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the Library Director and other staff responsible for selecting items similar to the one challenged. Requests will be reviewed based on whether the item in question conforms to the selection criteria outlined in this policy. The Library Director or designee will then respond to the patron challenging the materials. The response will include the committee’s decision and its rationale. If the patron is unsatisfied with the committee’s conclusion, the item will be referred to the Library Board for further review.
approved by the Silver Falls Library
Board of Directors, July 23, 2019
The library aims to provide equitable service to all who use it. To achieve this goal, library collections must remain current and responsive to the public’s needs and easily accessible through current, appropriate, and cost-effective technologies.
Intellectual Freedom
The right to access materials of varying viewpoints is an important part of the intellectual freedom basic to democracy. The principles of intellectual freedom are guaranteed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I of the Oregon Constitution. In keeping with those principles, the library favors no viewpoint and endorses the following American Library Association statements:
- Libraries: An American Value http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/librariesamerican
- Library Bill of Rights
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill - Freedom to Read
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomreadstatement - Freedom to View
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomviewstatement - Free Access to Libraries for Minors http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/freeaccesslibraries
Except where noted elsewhere in this policy, all materials will be freely and easily accessible to the public. Youth are not limited to using materials in the children’s or young adult areas. Responsibility for a minor’s access to the collection rests solely with their parent or guardian. The library will not limit access to materials based on content or authorship, and selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that youth may use such items.
Authority
The responsibility for the library collection lies with the Library Director, who may designate other staff to participate in selection tasks. The Library Board, with input from the Director, shall determine the broad policies for collection development set forth in this document. Collection development procedures and annual goals are implemented by library staff under the Director’s supervision.
Principles
The library will provide patrons with a variety of educational, recreational, and cultural materials. These resources will be provided in current, convenient, and cost-effective formats. Types of materials may include books, audio, video, magazines, newspapers, digital resources, or other formats deemed of interest to the District’s patrons. The library’s collection will include material on many subjects, incorporate various viewpoints, and offer a wide selection of genres, themes, and items of special interest to the community. Emphasis will be placed on obtaining current, popular materials, stimulating children’s interest in reading, maintaining a core collection of classic works, serving the informational needs of Silver Falls, and preserving local history. The library will strive to meet or exceed the “Enhanced” designation for collection development as set forth in the Standards for Oregon Public Libraries, published by the Oregon Library Association.
Silver Falls Library does not endorse particular views, nor does the selection of an item imply endorsement of its content. Each type of material will be considered by its own merit and as a whole, not by selected portions. To encourage diversity, items with minority viewpoints and perspectives will be included. Materials will not be excluded because of any views or characteristics of the creator(s). Staff who select for the collection assess items based on the selection criteria delineated below, regardless of personal taste. These standards apply equally to purchased and donated materials.
Selection Criteria and Protocols
Collection materials are selected by trained staff members (selectors). Selectors may consult a variety of resources including but not limited to professional and amateur publications, websites, blogs, reviews, bestseller lists, current media, and local sources.
Items will be selected considering the following criteria.
- Local demand;
- Community needs and interests;
- Popularity;
- Artistic, literary, historic, and/or scientific merit;
- Clarity and accuracy;
- Ease of use;
- Availability, format, and durability;
- Budget and space considerations.
- Selectors will consider Silver Falls Library’s collection as well as those of its resource-sharing partners.
- Suggestions from patrons are welcomed and considered using the standards outlined in this policy.
- The library will acquire materials in languages commonly spoken at home by Silver Falls patrons.
- The library does not select textbooks or other curriculum-related material unless these materials also serve the general public.
- Because the library serves a community with a wide range of ages, reading skills, and educational backgrounds, it will select materials of varying complexity.
- The library collection cannot be completely comprehensive. Older titles or titles that do not fit within the criteria of this policy may need to be borrowed from a resource-sharing partner or via interlibrary loan.
To preserve the area’s unique history and meet the needs of local researchers, the library collects materials pertaining to the local area. These items may be kept in protected areas or be restricted to use only in the library. Copies may also be available for checkout.
Items in this collection may include the following:
- Histories for areas of the Willamette Valley, with special emphasis on Silverton and nearby areas;
- Materials relevant to the unique commercial, industrial, cultural, and civic enterprises of Silverton and the mid-Willamette Valley;
- Print newspapers covering Silverton and nearby areas;
- Directories which encompass areas of the District;
- Yearbooks for schools within Silver Falls School District;
- Historical works on Oregon generally;
- Travel guides and resources with historic value that cover Silverton, the region, and Oregon;
- Documents from governmental entities operating within the District’s boundaries, or which have a local significance for Silver Falls District Library patrons;
- Works in areas useful for genealogical research specific to Silverton, though these may also be housed with the Willamette Valley Genealogical Society
- Rare and unusual fiction with historical value for Silver Falls District patrons.
- The Silver Falls Library is NOT a mandatory repository of any governmental documents.
Gifts
The library gratefully accepts gifts for the collection. Donated items are reviewed using the criteria laid out in this policy, the same as for purchased materials. Gifts that are not selected for the collection may be used for other library services or given to the Friends of the Silver Falls Library to sell, rehome, or otherwise dispense. Proceeds from the Friends’ sales are used to benefit the library. Gifts will not be returned to the donor. Donations may be tax-deductible, and the library will issue a receipt upon request but will not appraise gifts. Acknowledgement of donated items for memorial purposes is also available by request.
Removal, Replacement, and Maintenance
In order to keep the collection vital and useful and to use space efficiently, the library will regularly remove items from the collection that are worn, outdated, of little historical significance, or no longer in demand. All collections are reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis to meet contemporary and future community needs. Library staff use professional judgment and expertise to decide which materials to retain, replace, repair, or remove.
Withdrawn items in reasonable condition will be used for other library services or given to the Friends of the Silver Falls Library for use in their nonprofit fundraising endeavors.
Request for Reconsideration of Library Material
The District welcomes patrons to express opinions concerning materials selected or not selected for the collection. If a patron wants to formally question the content or placement of an item, they should be directed first to the Library Director or her designee.
Patrons who wish to have library materials removed or reclassified must complete and submit the Statement of Concern form. Materials subject to reconsideration will remain available during the review process. The request will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the Library Director and other staff responsible for selecting items similar to the one challenged. Requests will be reviewed based on whether the item in question conforms to the selection criteria outlined in this policy. The Library Director or designee will then respond to the patron challenging the materials. The response will include the committee’s decision and its rationale. If the patron is unsatisfied with the committee’s conclusion, the item will be referred to the Library Board for further review.
approved by the Silver Falls Library
Board of Directors, July 23, 2019
