Marathon County Public Library

ITEM NUMBER: 13.01 a-c

CHAPTER 13: Collection

Development

CODE: Policy

COMPUTER ID: CD-1



Title: Collection Development Policy

Effective Date: 11-24-86

Authorized By: Library Board of Trustees/Library Director

Date of Last Revision: 6-2013



Collection Development Policy



The Marathon County Public Library uses a patron-driven collection development model

based on a shared collection and centralized selection. Primary authority for selection rests

in the hands of the Library Director, who shall establish Collection Development Procedure

according to the guidelines set forth in this policy.



Primary Collection Goals:



Materials for Lifelong Learning and Life Skills - We envision a world in which

everyone can read, write, evaluate information, and effectively apply technology to

lead healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives.

Materials that Incorporate Emerging Technologies - We empower the people of

Marathon County with the technology resources to connect to the world and the

future.

High Interest Materials for All Ages -We provide current high-interest materials in a

variety of formats.

Selection Principles:



The Library recognizes and celebrates that it serves all members of the Marathon County

community, regardless of age, political or social views, gender (including gender

expression), sexuality, race, ethnicity, or country of origin. As such, the Library further

recognizes that its patrons have diverse backgrounds, cultural heritages, interests, political

views, and social values. The Library seeks to build a collection to meet the needs of the

members of this diverse community, and to that end will routinely gather statistics and

community input to determine the characteristics, expectations, and needs of these users.

The Library will apply the latest tools and innovations to its collection development

practices.



All patrons are free to request materials from the Library, and all patron requests will be

evaluated according to the goals, principles, and standards contained in this policy, as well

as any procedure for collection development laid out by the Library Director.





ITEM NUMBER: 13.01b





The Library will give highest priority to those materials most needed by our patrons,

focusing on circulating materials for our diverse community in a variety of formats.

Selectors will emphasize a balance of materials in the shared collection; individual branch

collections may vary with local demand. Print reference collections will be reduced in favor

of circulating and online resources. New formats of materials will be integrated into the

collection as the patron demand increases.



The Library has adopted the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights,

Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights, and the Freedom to Read Statement, as well as

the Freedom to View Statement endorsed by the American Library Association. These

documents can be found in Chapter 4 of the Marathon County Public Library Operations

Manual & Personnel Policies & Procedures Manual, and are both adhered to and supported

by the Marathon County Public Library. The content of these documents is to be

understood as part of this and all other related policies and procedures.



Selection Standards:



Artistic or scholarly merit of material

Popular demand for or interest in subject

Requests for particular materials

Timeliness of content

Appropriateness and relevancy of material to the library's users

Favorable reviews in standard library reviewing sources

Reputation, authority, or qualifications of author, artist, producer, editor, or publisher

Importance of material in relation to existing collection in terms of balance or

completeness (including in terms of existing series')

Accessibility of material by library users (including reading level, ease of use of

electronic uses)

Historical value of material

Technical quality of A/V materials

Physical quality of material (packaging, binding, etc.)

Availability of material through vendors

Cost of material in relation to the quality and significance of above factors



Collection Maintenance:



The collection is reviewed and revised on an on-going basis to meet contemporary needs.

The level of use of an item in the present will take priority over the possibility that someone

may use it someday. Materials containing outdated or superseded information will be

removed from the collection. Current relevance and demand will be the

ITEM NUMBER: 13.01c





determining factor in how long materials are kept. The collection is neither archival nor

research oriented; the Library supplements the collection by borrowing from other libraries

as necessary to meet patron demands.





The Way We Do Business:

We act as good stewards of the public's tax dollars.

We provide equitable access to a broad array of content, as well as training and

assistance to help people successfully navigate and use information.

We operate as one system; unity provides value. The centralized approach to a

shared collection allows staff to concentrate on collections that are maximized

around the needs of patrons.

We routinely gather statistics and community input to determine user characteristics,

expectations and needs and will apply the latest tools and innovations to our

collection development practices.

We supplement our collections with additional materials by borrowing through

cooperative agreements with other libraries.