This policy exists to guide the Library Director in selecting materials and to inform the public about the principles guiding collection development decisions. Responsibility for collection development lies with the Library Director and/or his/her designee(s) applying professional knowledge, experience, and this policy in making decisions.

Collection Development

The West Branch Public Library provides free service to all individuals in the community, both children and adults. Its objectives include the provision of expertly selected books and other materials to aid the individual in the pursuit of education, information, enjoyment, research, and the creative use of leisure time.

Materials selected for the collection will meet both the current and long-term needs of West Branch residents of all ages and abilities for information, education, culture, and recreation. The library strives to offer the widest possible range of subjects and views in a variety of formats, treatments, and levels of difficulty, within the limits of cost and space and considering current holdings and demand. Collection development will support priorities of the library's long-term plan.

The library subscribes to the principles embodied in the Library Bill of Rights adopted by the American Library Association. Including materials in the collection does not constitute endorsement of their contents. The library recognizes that any given item may offend some patrons, but, because the library follows accepted principles of intellectual freedom, it will not remove specific titles solely because individuals or groups may find them objectionable. Responsibility for the reading of children rests with their parents and legal guardians. Selection of materials for the collection is not restricted by the possibility that children may obtain materials their parents consider inappropriate. A form requesting reconsideration of an item is available from the Library Director or online here.

The library welcomes suggestions and comments from the public and will consider requested materials of reasonable cost and value to the collection for acquisition. Specialized resources available in other local libraries will not be needlessly duplicated. The library adds curricular materials only when these also serve the general public. The library participates in programs designed to provide patrons access to materials not owned, such as interlibrary loan, reciprocal borrowing agreements, and access to Internet resources.

Collection Maintenance

To ensure that the library's collection is up-to-date and relevant to the community's needs, the usefulness of materials previously added to the collection is reevaluated on a regular basis. Materials will be withdrawn if they are out-of-date, badly worn, damaged, or no longer being used. Space, the cost of replacement, and the appearance of the collection are also factors. Locally significant materials are not held to these standards and are generally retained. Withdrawn materials may be donated to other libraries, sold at a public sale, recycled, or discarded.

reviewed 08/08
revised 03/05