PURPOSE
The Library Bill of Rights states that “Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.” Abington Township Public Library’s collection consists of a wide diversity of materials accumulated to accommodate patrons’ interests and to support the Library’s Mission and Values. Our Mission is to champion learning and foster connections for everyone in our community. The Values of the Abington Township Public Library represent the library’s highest priorities and deeply held driving forces: Knowledge, Trust, Inclusion and Thinking Big. The purpose of the Collection Development Policy is to describe the nature of the Library’s collection and to provide guidance and direction to the Library staff for the development and maintenance of the Library’s collection. Continuous review of library materials is necessary to succeed in providing a strong library collection for library users.
STATEMENT OF POLICY
Abington Township Public Library (ATPL) strives to provide robust, dynamic collections of physical and electronic resources from diverse perspectives and voices that meet the needs of today's patrons of all ages.
ATPL recognizes that freedom to read and view is essential to a democracy, and it subscribes to the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement adopted by the American Library Association, June 25, 1971, and Freedom to View adopted by the American Film and Video Association, 1989. ATPL also recognizes the Library Bill of Rights, reaffirmed January 23, 1996, by the ALA Council. ATPL additionally respects the confidentiality of all patron records.
To meet this mission, we will develop collections that recognize, reflect and value the diverse experiences and multiple identities within our community. These identities and experiences include, but are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, culture, language, socioeconomic status, level of education, religion, age and size.
SELECTION CRITERIA
ATPL supports the American Library Association definition of a well-balanced collection:
“A well-balanced collection does not require a one-to-one equivalence for each viewpoint but should strive for equity in content and ideas that takes both structural inequalities and the availability of timely, accurate materials into account. A diverse collection should contain a variety of works chosen pursuant to the library’s selection policy and subject to periodic review.”
The Library does not sanction beliefs or views, nor is the selection of any given item equivalent to an endorsement of the author’s viewpoint.
The selection of materials is governed by the Library's general objectives, its assessment of the community’s present and future needs, its recognition of and cooperation with other libraries accessible to residents, and the limitation of space and budget.
MATERIALS NOT COLLECTED
There are certain resources that ATPL does not specifically collect. This is due to resources and space allocation.
Rare books, obsolete formats, textbooks, and ephemera are not collected.
Self-published materials are collected conditionally.
Materials that are self-published are not added to the collection unless there is a compelling reason to do so (valuable content or high local interest.) Self-published works are often not reviewed in the established journals used for selection criteria.
Exceptions can be made for self-published materials if
The material is of local interest
No other materials are available on the subject
The material meets the selection criteria
SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA: Across all ATPL Collections
The Board of Trustees approves the Collection Development Policy for Abington Township Public Library. The responsibility for administering the policy rests with the Executive Director. Professional Librarians under the direction of the Executive Director and the Assistant Director oversee all aspects of collection development, including selection, maintenance, and deselection. Selections are made using professional review sources that include, but are not limited to the following: Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, New York Times Book Review, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal. In addition, librarians consult reviews and other sources such as international, national, and local publications, online professional review sources and broadcast and social media.
Additional criteria for selection of materials includes:
Print and Nonprint Fiction
Literary merit
Author popularity
Writing quality
Representation of important genre or trend
Content created by and representative of marginalized and underrepresented groups
Local demand
Print and Nonprint Nonfiction
Subject
Scope and authority
Treatment (e.g. style, organization, approach)
Physical features and format
Date of publication and timeliness
Content created by and representative of marginalized and underrepresented groups
Intended audience
Local demand
Technical production quality
Presentation effectively delivered by specific format
Content created by and representative of marginalized and underrepresented groups
Licensing and copyright compatibility with library use
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
The community is invited to be a part of the selection process.
Popular Requests:
When there are multiple holds on popular books, the Library may consider adding duplicate copies to satisfy expressed demand.
Purchase Suggestions:
Library users are able to suggest titles that they would like to see in the collection. While not a guarantee that the library will add it to the collection, the library will take the title requested into consideration, following the guidelines described in this document (Selection Process and Criteria).
Reconsideration of Library Materials:
There may be occasions when a member of the community may be concerned about a particular item in the Library’s collection. If a patron wishes the Library to reconsider material that is in the collection, the patron must complete the Request for Reconsideration Form. A copy of this Form can be requested from a Library staff member. Once the form is received, the Executive Director will review the request, using the criteria when selecting the item, its place in the collection, and reasons for including the item in the collection. The Executive Director will provide a written response to the patron within 30 days.
If the Library user is not satisfied, the Library Board of Trustees will convene a review committee including the Executive Director and at least two Board members. The Library’s Board review committee’s decision is final, and the patron will be notified of the decision. The Abington Township Board of Commissioners does not make operational decisions for the library, nor does it make decisions about materials in the library’s collection.
GIFTS AND MEMORIALS
Gifted materials are rarely accepted as items to be included in the library’s collection. The library accepts monetary donations that are applied to memorial or honor materials. Memorial and Honor donation forms are available online on the library’s website. All material purchased as a memorial or honor items will be subject to the library’s deselection policy.
The Friends of Abington Township Public Library accept donated materials at their discretion. Donated materials become property of the Friends of ATPL to keep, sell, or donate as they see fit.
EVALUATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Continuous review of Library materials is necessary as a means of maintaining an active Library collection of current interest to users. Statistical tools such as circulating reports, collection turnover rates and withdraw reports, as well as other specialized collection analysis methods, provide useful data. The professional expertise and the agency of professional librarians is also an important component in the ongoing evaluation of our collections.
DESELECTION
Deselection of Library materials, or weeding, is an integral part of maintaining a viable and useful collection. Materials are withdrawn from the Library’s collection through systematic weeding or due to loss or physical damage. The following evaluation criteria is used in evaluating an item for deselection:
Economical and efficient use of library space
Accuracy and currency of information
Availability of newer, more comprehensive, and/or more accessible material
Physical condition of material
Relevance to community needs
Ease of borrowing materials from another library
Date of last circulation and number of circulations
Number of copies in the collection
REPLACEMENT
While the Library tries to maintain copies of standard and important works, it does not automatically replace all materials withdrawn due to loss or damage. Decisions concerning the replacement of individual items are based on the following considerations:
Demand for a specific item
The number of copies held
The existing coverage of the subject within the collection
The recency of its contents
The availability of the title for reorder
The cost of mending versus the cost of replacement
Availability of the title from other libraries
CONSORTIUM, NETWORKING AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS
The Library will abide by any and all agreements into which it enters
APPENDICES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Library Bill of Rights; page 56 ATPL Policy Manual
Freedom to Read Statement; page 52 ATPL Policy Manual
Freedom to View; page 55 ATPL Policy Manual
Reconsideration of Library Materials; pages 39, 40 ATPL Policy Manual
Request for Items: Online form or Suggestion Card
Suggested titles to add to the Collection: Online form