Collection Development Policy
Approved May 20, 2015
Revised: May 18, 2022
Revised: October 18, 2023
The Troy-Miami County Public Library Board of Trustees and staff fully endorse and affirms the following objectives:
- To serve all people
- To provide a variety of materials and programming for informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs
- To provide qualified staff to give guidance in the use of materials
- To provide access for all people
- To initiate a leadership role in the community to serve as a link between the individual and the community
- To inform the public of Library resources and services
- To support intellectual freedom
In a free society, information on different points of view should be readily available to allow individuals to decide which ideas are meaningful to them. The public library is the institution that provides free access to these ideas. The Library, consequently, has the responsibility for selecting materials, which reflect a wide variety of ideas and may contain controversial points of view. Since the Library has a responsibility to protect the rights of all users, it does not limit the use of its collection. Library staff may offer guidance in selection; however, monitoring the reading, listening, and viewing of children is the responsibility of their parents or legal guardians. At no time will library staff act in loco parentis. Selection of materials will not be inhibited by the possibility that items may come into the possession of children.
The needs, interests and points of view of the Library’s community range over the spectrum of all subjects inherent to contemporary society. The Library has a responsibility to provide a diversity of materials in various formats. Materials are selected to reflect changes in educational, cultural and intellectual ideas and the impact of new technology within the limitations of budget and space.
The selection of any material for the collection does not constitute an endorsement of its content. Selection decisions are made on the basis of merits of the work, meeting the needs of users, and serving the interests of users.
Criteria for Selection
While a single standard cannot be applied to each potential item for selection, materials are judged by the following criteria:
- Public demand
- Accurate and authoritative information
- Price
- Historical or cultural significance to Troy and Miami County
- Critical reviews or publicity
- Duplication of content in other formats
- Currency of information
- Availability of material elsewhere within our local and state library lending partner’s collections
- Potential and/or known demand for the material
- Relevance to community needs
- Relative importance in comparison with existing materials in the collection on the same subject
These criteria apply to purchased and donated materials as well as special collections.
Special Collections
From time to time, the Library may establish a special collection on a temporary basis or as a permanent collection, such as the Local History collection. A special collection may be developed to meet a particular need in the community or may be established to provide a comprehensive collection of works deemed necessary to address a topic in greater detail. The rules governing the purchasing of books and materials for special collections will be applied the same as the general collection.
Self-Published Materials and Local Authors
The library is often asked to include items that are written and/or published independently, including materials that are self-published or published through a vanity press company. The library looks for materials with regional connections and collection relevance that will appeal to a wide audience. Materials must meet the standards of this policy. Works added to the collection are subject to current weeding policies and procedures. Some items may not appear in the catalog because they do not meet cataloging minimum requirements.
Weeding
The Library weeds its collection on a regular basis to keep the collection current and as a timely resource for the community. The library staff will generally follow the principles established in The CREW Manual for Modern Libraries by Jeannette Larson for detailed guidelines for weeding. (CREW is an acronym for Continuous Review Evaluation & Weeding.)
Weeded materials will be donated to the Friends of the Library for book sales or disposed of through other means determined by the Library.
The process and decision to deselect an item takes into account the same criteria used when the item was first selected for inclusion in the collection. In addition, criteria such as obsolete information, insufficient use, excessive wear and tear, space availability, and changing user interests are considered. Duplicate copies and items superseded by newer editions are reviewed for possible deselection.
Gifts and Donations
Gifts of miscellaneous books or other materials are accepted with the understanding that items which are not added to collections will be disposed of at the discretion of the Library. Any proceeds derived from such disposal may be used at the discretion of the administration for library improvement or staff development.
See Acceptance of Gifts Policy for additional information.
Statement of Concern Regarding library Resources
When patrons have concerns about specific material(s) in the collection, they should raise the concerns with the appropriate library staff. If the patron’s concerns remain unresolved, they will be provided a “Statement of Concern” form. A Statement of Concern may be filled out by any Miami County resident. No form will be considered without a contact name and address or email included. Upon receipt of the completed form, the library director, in consultation with library staff, will review it using criteria from the Collection Development Policy and respond to the user. The Library Director will report results of all reviews to the Library Board of Trustees.
Freedom to Read Statement
Adopted August 16, 2023 by the Board of Trustees of Troy-Miami County Public Library
The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. As a library, we wish to uphold this freedom by ensuring the public has a wide variety of reading options.
We therefore affirm these propositions:
- We strive to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that may be perceived by some as unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by others.
- Librarians do not necessarily endorse every idea or presentation they make available. They do not set their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.
- Librarians will not bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.
- We will not make any efforts to coerce the taste of others, to predetermine the suitability of topics for particular age groups, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.
- We will not attempt to influence a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.
- As guardians of the public’s freedom to read, Librarians will challenge encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.
- Librarians will support the full meaning of freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression.
We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are objectionable to some people. However, while we acknowledge that some ideas can be dangerous, we are committed to preventing the suppression of ideas which would thereby limit a significant freedom established by our Constitution.
Troy-Miami County Public Library’s mission statement says the library will “provide opportunities to enrich, empower, educate, and entertain Miami County residents.” We strive to make this statement true for all members of our community.