The selection policy of the La Porte County Public Library supports the general mission of the Library, the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement.

Library materials representing a wide range of interests and reading levels are selected to meet the needs of patrons. The responsibility of choosing from this range of materials rests with the user. Parent/guardians are responsible for supervising their children's use of Library materials.

All acquisitions, before being purchased or accepted as gifts, are evaluated in terms of the following criteria and in the context of economic and space considerations. An item will not necessarily be judged against all criteria, but against those appropriate and applicable to it. These same standards determine the replacement, quantity, and withdrawal of materials.

The objectives of the Library’s collection are:

• * Promote literacy and offer support for lifelong learning for patrons of all ages
• Provide access to a variety of opinions on matters of current interest and encourage freedom of expression
• Encourage continuous learning, support career and job-related skills, and supplement formal study
• Maintain a virtual collection of resources that is accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
• Provide materials that entertain and enrich the individual’s enjoyment of life

Selectors use the following criteria when selecting materials:

• Artistic, literary, historic and/or scientific merit
• Availability of shelf space
• Cost as measured against competing materials on the same subject
• Reputations, qualifications, and significance of author, producer, or publisher
• Availability of material
• Awareness of significant new trends in literature, technology, and formats
• Accuracy, clarity, currency, timeliness, and validity
• Community requests and/or anticipated popular demand
• Patron requests and/or anticipated demand
• Favorable reviews
• Format and durability
• Practical usefulness
• Relationship to existing materials in collection
• Relative importance in comparison with other materials available on the subject
• Suitability for intended audience

Our selection tools include:

Professional Journals:

Booklist, Library Journal, New York Times Review of Books, Video Librarian, School Library Journal, Horn Book, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Children’s Technology Review, Audiofile and Publishers Weekly

Blogs and Listservs of the Library Profession:

Fuse#8 from School Library Journal, Esther Keller’s Good Comics for Kids, Pubyac, and Childlit

Other:

The following works may be consulted: Public Library Catalog, Fiction Catalog, general periodicals, trade journals, Recommended Reference books for Small and Medium-sized Libraries and Media Centers, web sites relevant to the field and subject bibliographies

Textbooks are selected only when they meet the selection criteria and when they assist the Library in fulfilling its roles. No attempt is made to purchase textbooks for curriculum support.

REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION

Consistent with our mission, the La Porte County Public Library affirms the safeguarding of First Amendment Rights, intellectual freedom, and a commitment to a diverse collection of materials.

The La Porte County Public Library Board of Trustees is legally responsible for all matters relating to the operation of the Library. It delegates the responsibility for selection of Library materials to the Library staff as assigned through the Library Director. Suggestions for the Library collection are welcomed from patrons. While a particular item may offend some patrons, selection of materials will not be based upon any anticipated approval or disapproval, but rather on the merits of the material and its value to the collection. The use of Library materials by patrons is an individual matter. Parents/guardians are responsible for supervising their children's use of Library materials.

Library patrons may object to selected Library materials by completing the attached Request for Reconsideration form. Once a completed form is received by the Library Director, a process for reconsideration of the Library materials identified by the Library patron will begin. Those submitting completed forms will be contacted within two weeks of the Library’s receipt of the form. The final responsibility for the retention decision rests with the Library Board of Trustees.

2/24/2011